GNAC unveils first-ever winners of new award
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is pleased to announce Henry Siercke of Eastern Nazarene College men's tennis and Noah Robinson of Saint Joseph's College of Maine men's soccer have been named the 2020 GNAC Co-Man of the Year, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
The two standouts share the first-ever GNAC Man of the Year Award. The inaugural winners were selected by following the same parameters as the NCAA's Woman of the Year Program: academic achievement, athletics excellence, service & leadership, and a personal statement.
This year's other GNAC finalists featured Bobby Perette of Anna Maria College men's basketball; Joe Maracic of Johnson & Wales University baseball; Joe Sullivan of Lasell University baseball; Brandon Milburn of Norwich University men's lacrosse; and Brian Wagner of Regis College men's lacrosse.
Robinson, a Wappingers Falls, N.Y. native, graduated from SJC with an outstanding GPA as a major in Business & Sports Management. The men's soccer standout was a key cog in the program that has become a regional powerhouse in recent years, as the Monks won three straight GNAC Championships from 2016-18 and advanced to the NCAA Second Round each season. The team was ranked as high as No. 5 in Division III back in 2018, putting together a 42-game undefeated streak.
"I am grateful to be the recipient of this award," said Robinson. "First and foremost, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be considered for such an award, and for the abilities I have been blessed with. I would also like to thank my family, coaches, teammates, trainers, and the many others that have been a part of my success during my time at SJC."
For his career, Robinson totaled 23 goals and eight assists for 54 points, including six game-winners in 80 games (78 starts). The four-time All-GNAC selection was also voted the 2019 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-New England First Team choice the same year. The team captain was also a SAAC member and served as an Intramurals Coordinator for the SJC Athletic Department.
Robinson's personal statement: "Over the last four years, I have had the special opportunity of being able to call Saint Joseph's College of Maine my home, and the Men's Soccer team my family. It has been a long journey where I have had many experiences I will never forget. SJC has given me the opportunity to grow and excel on and off the field. I was very involved in the SJC community outside of the men's soccer team, both as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Intramural Supervisor. This allowed me to have a voice in the community, and develop many skills as a leader that will have endless use to me in the future. Success is never something that has come easy to me. I have always been the person that is overlooked. I have always had to work harder, and put in more time, and effort to achieve my goals. I believe this is why I thrived in the SJC community, and especially within the Men's Soccer team, since our core principles were always to be honest upright young men, and to also be the hardest workers having a never-give-up attitude. This aligned well with my personal values. It has been a long journey that I am not looking to give up on yet. I am currently searching to continue my playing career at the professional level where I can carry on all my experiences I have had over the last four years."
Siercke is a member of the ENC tennis program, which is a GNAC associate member. Carrying a strong GPA as a Business Management Major, the Hamburg, Germany native's service and leadership activities included the ENC Business Society, the ENC International Student Organization, as well as a Lions SAAC member. He is a four-time Academic All-Conference choice and a 2018 ITA Scholar-Athlete.
"I am very honored and grateful to receive this award, which would not have been possible without my coaches and teammates at ENC," said Siercke. "They helped push me to become a better person, player, and leader on and off the court."
On the court, Siercke was selected as both the 2019 GNAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year and GNAC Tournament MVP. When Eastern Nazarene previously competed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, he was voted a 2018 All-CCC Second Team pick and the 2017 CCC Rookie of the Year.
Siercke's personal statement: "Coming to the U.S. from Germany for the first time as a freshman was tough. The culture shock was hard in the beginning but it was something that I had to get used to. I was new to fully learning a foreign language but I was able to maintain a GPA above 3.9 throughout my four years. I always felt I had to be a leader in the classroom with constructive answers, comments, or feedback during class discussions or group work. I was able to have meaningful discussions with people from all over the world, trying to make an impact in the campus community. I was named captain as a senior and worked to motivate my team in all situations. I am very grateful I got the chance to mentor new freshmen on and off the court. I am very competitive and always wanted to win; I fought until the last point and I think I could set an example with that for my teammates. My goal for this past spring season was to help lead my team to another GNAC Championship, but the global pandemic didn't allow us to. This past year allowed me to grow and develop even further and I can take all this powerful experience with me in my professional career to try to make a positive impact on the world."
COURTESY OF GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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