BOSTON – A decorated duo with championship pedigree was named the 2020-21 America East Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year. UMass Lowell cross country and track and field runner, Kyle Cloutier, and UMBC softball All-American, Courtney Coppersmith, earned the prestigious honors Wednesday afternoon. The pair, which combined for four America East team titles during their careers, was chosen from a group of 16 student-athletes who were named Scholar-Athletes in their respective sports this year.
2020-21 America East Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Male: Kyle Cloutier, UMass Lowell, Sr. - Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
- First UMass Lowell student-athlete to earn Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.
- Graduated with a 3.96 GPA in business administration.
- Two-time America East All-Academic selection.
- 2020 Elite 18 honoree.
- Multi-time All-Conference honoree in cross country and track and field.
- Won the 2020 #AEXC championship race, helping the River Hawks sweep the meet.
- Qualified for the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
- Helped UMass Lowell to three championships in cross country and indoor track and field during his tenure.
Female: Courtney Coppersmith, UMBC, Jr. – Softball
- Second UMBC woman to earn the honor, joining Lana Khvalina (2003-04).
- 3.71 GPA in biochemistry and molecular biology.
- Two-time #AESB Pitcher of the Year.
- All-American pitcher in 2019.
- 2021 Elite 18 recipient.
- Two-time All-Championship selection and 2020 Most Outstanding Player.
- Guided the Retrievers to their first ever #AESB regular season title in 2021.
- Behind Coppersmith’s dominance on the mound, the team won back-to-back championships – the only two in program history.
Cloutier and Coppersmith 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 18 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.
2020-21 America East Scholar Athletes
Listing of all-time America East Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
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, including its sports Scholar-Athletes, All-Academic honorees, Presidential Scholar-Athletes, Elite 18 honorees and Honor Roll/Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipients.
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.
- #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete -