Bird Named Sport Excellence Recipient; Seven Ravens Earn Spots on NE-10 Academic All-Conference Teams
Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference Teams
RINDGE, N.H. (July 11, 2016) – Senior right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.) of the Franklin Pierce University baseball team has been named his sport's Sport Excellence award winner by the Northeast-10 Conference, as announced earlier this month by the Conference office. In addition, Bird, teammate and senior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.), women's golf sophomore Anna Haynes (Hopedale, Mass.), men's lacrosse junior midfielder Nick Bradshaw (Westbury, N.Y.), women's lacrosse senior midfielder Lauren Beville (Jamesville, N.Y.), men's track & field junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) and women's track & field senior Nadine Hyde (Maple Valley, Wash.) have all earned Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference honors. The selected Ravens were among a record 106 student-athletes across 10 sports honored by the Northeast-10.
To be eligible for selection to the Academic All-Conference Team, a student-athlete must fulfill each of the following criteria: (1) participated in at least half of the team's competitions as a starter or significant contributor, (2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale), and (3) completed at least one academic year at his/her current institution. The teams are chosen by the vote of a committee of athletic administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives. In addition, one honoree in each sport is selected as the Northeast-10's Sport Excellence award winner in that sport.
Bird collects the ninth Sport Excellence award earned by Franklin Pierce student-athletes, and it is also his first career Academic All-Conference selection. Holmes and Hyde each earned their second career outdoor track & field selections, while Holmes makes it five career selections, after adding in two in indoor track & field and one in cross country. Beville earns her second straight Academic All-Conference accolade as well, while Bradshaw and Haynes were both honored for the first time.
Bird earned his degree in marketing this spring, wrapping up his undergraduate career with a 3.62 grade-point average. He had just 12.1 collegiate innings to his name entering the season, exploded onto the scene from the Ravens bullpen as a senior and earned consensus All-East Region honors along with a pair of All-America accolades this spring. He made 23 appearances on the mound this spring, including one start, and logged 64 innings while recording 71 strikeouts (9.98 per nine innings), on his way to a 1.55 ERA, an 8-1 record and three saves. Bird finished the season fourth in the country in WHIP (0.84), sixth in ERA, ninth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.77) and 22nd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.46). He allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 41 hits and has walked 13 against the 71 strikeouts. Within the Northeast-10, Bird ranked first in ERA, tied for fifth in wins, ranked sixth in strikeouts per nine innings and ranked 12th in strikeouts.
Brock earned his degree this spring as well, finishing with a 3.40 GPA as an accounting-finance major. He earned his second straight All-Northeast-10 selection for his work at shortstop in 2016. While starting in all 57 games on the year, he put together a .337/.433/.466 slash line over 208 at-bats (70-for-208) with 14 doubles, two triples and three home runs. Brock led the nation in stolen bases (47-for-55), finished third in stolen bases per game (0.82) and established new Franklin Pierce records for stolen bases in a season and a career (116) this spring. Within the NE-10, he finished first in stolen bases, tied for sixth in runs scored (58), seventh in on-base percentage and hits, tied for eighth in doubles, 16th in batting average, tied for 20th in RBI (32) and tied for 26th in slugging percentage.
Haynes completed her fourth semester in Rindge this spring and currently sports a 3.69 GPA as a health sciences major. She was an All-Northeast-10 First Team selection in the fall after finishing fifth at the Northeast-10 Championship by carding an 18-over-par 164, with rounds of 83 and 81 at the par-73 Village Club of Sands Point. Haynes' spring season was highlighted by a 21st-place finish at the Barton College Intercollegiate and a tie for seventh at the Lady Penmen Spring Classic.
Bradshaw is through six semesters as a Raven and currently holds a 3.77 grade-point average as a health sciences major. He played 12 games in the midfield for Franklin Pierce this spring, collecting five points on four goals and an assist along the way. Bradshaw added seven ground balls, caused one turnover while committing two and attempted 24 shots on the season (11 on goal).
Beville finished her undergraduate career with a 3.89 GPA, as she earned her degree in social work & counseling this spring. She started in all 16 games in the midfield for the Ravens and tied for second on the team in scoring with 49 points on 31 goals and 18 assists. Beville went 8-for-19 on free-position shots, collected 30 ground balls, snagged 32 draw controls, caused 13 turnovers while committing 40 and attempted 82 shots on the year (58 on goal).
Holmes wrapped up his sixth semester at Franklin Pierce with a 3.82 GPA as a graphic communications/marketing major. During the outdoor season, he placed sixth in the 5000 meters and seventh in the 4x800-meter relay at the Northeast-10 Championships, while later adding a 23rd-place finish in the 1500 meters at the New England Championships.
Hyde picked up her degree in environmental science this spring, finishing with a 3.84 grade-point average. She did her best work in the spring, as she earned All-East Region honors from the USTFCCCA in the hammer throw during the outdoor season. Hyde finished third in the hammer and eighth in the discus at the Northeast-10 Championships in May, and followed up with a 12th-place finish in the hammer at the New England Championships.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).