BOSTON – Academic All-Americans David MacKinnon and Elinor Purrier are America East's 2016-17 Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon. The duo was chosen from a group of 14 student-athletes who were named sport Scholar-Athletes this year.
2016-17 America East Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Male: David MacKinnon, Sr., Hartford
- Just the fourth male to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year for a second time and fifth America East student-athlete ever to do so.
- Three-time baseball Scholar-Athlete.
- Graduated with a 3.87 GPA majoring in accounting.
- First-team Academic All-American for the second-straight year.
- America East Presidential Scholar-Athlete.
- First-team All-Conference selection for second-straight season.
- Five-time America East All-Academic selection as a two-sport athlete (men's soccer, baseball).
- Selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 32nd round of the 2017 MLB First Year Player Draft.
Female: Elinor Purrier, Jr., New Hampshire
- Second-straight Wildcat to earn Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.
- Just the third America East student-athlete to earn Scholar-Athlete honors in Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field all in the same academic year
- Has a 3.70 GPA in nutrition.
- Second-team Academic All-American.
- Earned three America East All-Academic honors this year and has six in her career.
- Was a first-team All-American three times in 2016-17, increasing her career total to seven, and a three-time America East individual champion as well.
- Finished fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and was the America East champion in that event.
- Second in NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile and set a meet record in the 800-meter run at the America East Championship to earn Most Outstanding Female Track Performer honors.
- Seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championship and won the America East individual title in a meet-record time.
MacKinnon and Purrier excelled as student-athletes this year, embodying the conference's three pillars of the complete student-athlete. The Scholar-Athletes of the Year were voted on by the conference's Student-Athlete Engagement Committee. Each year, the committee elects a Scholar-Athlete in each of the league's championship sports following the fall, winter and spring seasons and from that group, chooses one male and one female as the conference's Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
- Listing of all-time America East Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
2016-17 America East Scholar-Athlete releases:
America East is proud to have one of most comprehensive academic awards programs in the country, which honors over two-thirds of its student-athletes for their success in the classroom. Learn more about the conference's academic awards program.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.