CAA Names Fall Scholar-Athlete Award Winners

12/16/2016 1:08:09 PM

Rob Washburn

RICHMOND, Va. (December 16, 2016) – Six student-athletes who were among the best in their sports both athletically and academically have been honored by the Colonial Athletic Association as recipients of the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award for the fall sports season.

Earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors were Elon sophomore Nick Ciolkowski in men’s cross country, William & Mary junior Regan Rome in women’s cross country, Delaware senior Esmee Peet in field hockey, Delaware senior Ben Sampson in men’s soccer, Northeastern senior Mackenzie Dowd in women’s soccer and Hofstra senior Hannah Klemm in volleyball.

The conference honors one Scholar-Athlete in each of its 21 championship sports. Nominees for the award must be a starter or important reserve on their team and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25. The winners were selected by a vote of the media relations directors at each CAA institution.

All six of the fall sports honorees have cumulative grade point averages of 3.65 or higher, two received Academic All-America accolades and five were first-team all-conference selections in their various sports this season.

Here is a brief biographical sketch on the award winners:

Nick Ciolkowski, So., Fairport, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit – Elon (men’s cross country) – 3.85 GPA

A sophomore majoring in biochemistry, Ciolkowski is a two-time recipient of the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award. The sophomore was chosen as the CAA Athlete of the Year in men’s cross country for the second consecutive season after repeating as the individual champion at the 2016 CAA Cross Country Championship. His time of 25:08 was 13 seconds better than the next closest finisher. Earlier this season, Ciolkowski turned in the second-fastest performance in school history with a time of 24:16 at the 8K Greater Louisville Classic.

Regan Rome, Jr., Dallas, Pa./Dallas – William & Mary (women’s cross country) – 3.67 GPA

A junior majoring in mathematics, Rome is a four-time CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award winner and has received W&M’s Provost Award each year. She was the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s track and field last spring and has been a member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic team every semester. Rome was selected as the CAA Athlete of the Year in women’s cross country for the second year in a row after capturing the individual title at the 2016 CAA Cross Country Championship by more than 14 seconds with a time of 21:12. The junior went on to post a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regionals with a time of 20:35 and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship for the second year in a row. She placed 69^th at the NCAA Championship (20:40). Earlier this season, Rome was the individual winner at the W&M Invitational and the UVA Invitational.

Esmee Peet, Sr., Zeewolde, The Netherlands /RSG Slingerbos – Delaware (field hockey) – 3.80 GPA

A senior majoring in international business/MIS, Peet is a four-time CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award recipient and has made the Dean’s List in each semester. The senior was chosen to the NFHCA National Academic Squad and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma (national college athlete honor society). Peet was a second-team All-American in 2016, which marked her third career All-America award. The midfielder contributed nine goals and seven assists for a Blue Hens’ squad that went 23-2 and captured the National Championship this season. She received first-team All-CAA and first-team All-Region honors for the fourth straight year. Peet finished her career ranked fourth in goals (48) and points (120) at UD.

Ben Sampson, Gr., Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury – Delaware (men’s soccer) – 3.99 GPA

A graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering, Sampson was honored as the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in men’s soccer, becoming the first CAA men’s soccer player to ever earn the award. He received Academic All-America accolades for the third straight year. Sampson, who made the Dean’s List in every semester and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in electrical engineering last May, is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma and Eta Kappa Nu Honor Societies. On the field, Sampson received first-team All-CAA honors this season after helping lead the Blue Hens to a conference title and an NCAA berth. The defensive midfielder contributed four goals this season, had 24 career points (10 goals, 4 assists) and was part of 24 shutouts. Sampson set UD records for career games played (85) and starts (84).

Mackenzie Dowd, Sr., Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor – Northeastern (women’s soccer) – 4.0 GPA

A senior double-majoring in criminal justice and psychology, Dowd is a three-time winner of the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award in women’s soccer, becoming only the seventh three-time recipient in league history. She is a two-time Academic All-American and was named the 2015-16 CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Dowd was chosen to the Huntington 100 as one of NU’s 100 most outstanding students. On the field, Dowd was selected to the All-CAA first-team for the second straight year in 2016 after contributing two goals and an assist as a defender. She helped lead Northeastern to its third CAA championship and NCAA Tournament berth in the past four years.

Hannah Klemm, Sr., Berlin, Germany/SLZB – Hofstra (volleyball) – 3.93 GPA

A senior majoring in marketing with a minor in Fine Arts, Klemm is a repeat winner of the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award in volleyball. She received third-team Academic All-America honors in 2016 and was a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award. Klemm received the 2015 Dr. Sylvia J. Giallombardo Female Scholar-Athlete Award as Hofstra’s top female scholar-athlete. On the court, Klemm is a two-time CAA Setter of the Year and a two-time all-conference honoree. This season, she led the Pride in assists (860), ranked second in service aces (24) and was fifth in digs (172). She finished her career ranked third in Hofstra history and seventh in CAA history with 4,342 assists.