WINTHROP, Mass. – Men’s swimming & diving standout Will Thompson (Downingtown, Pa.) and two-sport star Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) of the women’s basketball and softball teams have been selected as Norwich University’s nominees for the 2024-25 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Athlete of the Year awards, recognizing the top graduating student-athletes in men’s and women’s sports.

The GNAC Athlete of the Year awards honor graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through academic achievement, athletic excellence, leadership, and service throughout their collegiate careers.  Winners of this year’s awards will be announced by the conference on Wednesday, July 16.

One of the most decorated swimmers in program history, Thompson leaves Norwich with a staggering 22 GNAC championships to his name, including nine individual and 13 as part of relay teams, alongside 27 All-Conference nods across his four-year career.  He was named the GNAC Male Swimmer of the Year in 2023-24 after a standout junior campaign in which he helped propel Norwich to its second straight conference title.  Thompson remained a driving force behind the program’s continued dominance, playing a key role in the Cadets’ three consecutive GNAC Championships from 2023 to 2025.

Thompson holds program records in the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 200-yard breaststroke events, and is a member of four record-setting relay teams: the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays.  He also set GNAC Championship meet records in the 50-yard breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay, and 200 medley relay during his time in maroon and gold.

His trajectory through the GNAC ranks reflects a steady climb toward elite status, marked by consistent dominance each season.  After capturing one GNAC relay championship as a rookie in 2021-22, Thompson exploded into the spotlight with six titles in 2022-23 and eight more in 2023-24.  He ended his senior year with seven GNAC crowns and eight All-Conference honors.  A five-time GNAC Swimmer of the Week, Thompson was named the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 and was honored with the program’s Athlete of the Year Award in 2023-24, recognizing his leadership, sportsmanship, and athletic achievement.

In addition to his prowess in the pool, Thompson also stood out in the classroom and on the Hill.  A two-time GNAC All-Academic selection with a 3.36 GPA, he served with distinction in the Norwich University Corps of Cadets as part of the Regimental Guard Mount Section, rising to the role of Officer in Charge during his senior year.  Thompson’s leadership extended well beyond his own team, serving as a model of discipline, dedication, and excellence for Norwich’s athletic and military communities alike.

A rare two-sport standout with honors in both the classroom and the conference, McGinn leaves Norwich as one of the most accomplished female student-athletes in recent memory.  A three-time CSC Academic All-District selection in women’s basketball and two-time recipient in softball, McGinn compiled a 3.95 GPA while earning Summa Cum Laude honors and President’s List recognition across all four years.

On the field and court, McGinn’s consistency, skill, and leadership made a profound impact.  She etched her name in Norwich women’s basketball history as a 1,000-point scorer, finishing her career with 1,047 points, 557 rebounds, and 174 assists.  She was a 2024-25 All-GNAC Third Team selection and served as a veteran leader on the hardwood, consistently anchoring both ends of the floor.  On the diamond, McGinn blossomed into one of the top players in the conference, earning All-GNAC First Team honors in 2025, becoming the program’s first First Team selection since 2017, after batting .389 with 28 RBI and a .456 on-base percentage as a senior.

She was also a consistent contributor to the culture of Norwich and her community, serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteering as an assistant youth travel softball coach.  Between 2021 and 2024, McGinn dedicated over 400 hours across multiple summers to mentoring and training young female athletes, helping foster a love for the sport that shaped her own journey.

Whether representing Norwich in the batter’s box or on the hardwood, or modeling academic and athletic excellence off the field, McGinn exemplifies the balance of character, service, and competitiveness at the heart of the GNAC Athlete of the Year Award for women’s sports.

Thompson and McGinn are two of several standout nominees for this year’s GNAC Athlete of the Year honors.  In addition to Thompson, the full list of finalists includes seven more standouts on the men’s side: EJ Gonzalez of Albertus Magnus College men’s soccer; George Chaya Jr. of Elms College baseball; Tim Callahan of Lasell University baseball; Eddie Kaftan of Mitchell College baseball; Christopher Margiatto of Regis College men’s cross country and men’s track and field; Dylan Dickey of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine men’s track and field and men’s soccer; and Braeden Laframboise of University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) men’s cross country.  The women’s list, meanwhile, comprises of 12 additional distinguished nominees, alongside McGinn: Skylar Arent of Albertus Magnus College softball; Sharaya Keele of Albertus Magnus College women’s basketball; Carly Drew of Anna Maria College field hockey and women’s lacrosse; Samantha Bishop of Colby-Sawyer College women’s soccer; Haley Gaunt of Dean College women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse; Katie Cosmos of Elms College softball; Emily DeRoehn of JWU (Providence) women’s soccer; McKenna McCool of Lasell University women’s volleyball; Gemma Landry of Mitchell College women’s soccer and softball; Bianca Burke of Regis College softball; Shauna Clark of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse; Sydney Gonyea of Simmons University field hockey; and Maya Slisz of University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) women’s basketball.

Should either be selected, they would join an exclusive group of Cadets who have earned the GNAC’s highest individual honor for graduating student-athletes.  Benjamin Stark ’24 became the first Norwich male recipient in 2024 after a legendary swimming & diving career, while Emily Oliver ’19 earned GNAC Woman of the Year honors in 2019 after completing a historic career as a three-sport standout in women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, and softball.

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4,000 student-athletes across the New England region.  Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity, and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Making history on volleyball’s biggest stage, the Pursuit Boys 16U National team battled through a gauntlet of elite competition to claim a silver medal at the AAU Junior National Championships on Thursday, July 3, at the Orange County Convention Center.

Led by head coach Zach Brock and club director Julie Kinnaman, the travel team based in Cape Girardeau finished in second place among 73 teams in the 16U elite division at what is widely considered the largest volleyball event in the world.

It was the best finish by a Southeast Missouri boys volleyball team in history.

“With only eight boys, it was a pretty big accomplishment,” Brock said. “The boys really worked hard. All the teams we beat up to the championship match won their flight matches, so every game we competed in, we had to really work hard to get to that point. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Pursuit competed in 13 matches over a busy four-day stretch, taking down top-notch teams from Florida, Illinois, California and Puerto Rico, among others, before edging No. 1 seed Austin Juniors Volleyball (Texas) in a three-set thriller in the semifinals.

Warren Jones serves the ball for the Pursuit 16u National team during the AAU Junior National Championship semifinals on Thursday, July 3, at the Orange County Convention Center.Submitted Photo

In the championship finals, Pursuit lost to California powerhouse Orange County Volleyball Club 2-0 (25-14, 25-21) to bow out of the tournament as national runners-up. Not bad for a team that entered the tournament ranked 16th in the country in the 16U division by SportsEngine AES Power Rankings.

“They were just bigger than us numbers-wise,” Brock said of the finals loss. “The boys were right there in that match, but I think the fatigue really began to set in. It was the fourth day in that gym for over six hours, and we just succumbed to a better team at that point. They never gave up, never laid down. The better team just won.”

Forty-one Episcopal Academy will continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level in the fall.

Here are the students and and their sport and school they will be attending.

• Maya Bright, soccer, University of Pittsburgh

• Paul Bruder, lacrosse, Penn State University

• Balthazar Buccini, soccer, Villanova University

• Kieran Buckley, swimming, Providence College

• Addie Chang, golf, Fairfield University

• Minah Cho, field hockey, Colgate University

• Logan Correll, baseball, Lehigh University

• Bridget Dempsey, soccer, Fairfield University

• Grace Holland, lacrosse, Boston College

• Maura Irish, lacrosse, University of Notre Dame

• Brynn Kehl, lacrosse, Bryant University

• Hanna-Mae Legaspi, softball, Georgetown University

• Evan MacFarland. lacrosse, Georgetown University

• Arden Mankovich. field hockey. William and Mary

• Maddie Masiko, softball, Lehigh University

• Matt McCarthy, basketball, Florida Gulf Coast University

• Caroline Powell, field hockey, Boston College

• Sophia Tabasso, equestrian, Oklahoma State University

• Quinn Whitaker, lacrosse, Boston College

• Stevie Combs, track and field, Denison University

• Lauren Creamer, soccer, Catholic University

• Kate Dente, lacrosse, Princeton University

• Eli Engelman, cross country and track and field, Dartmouth College

• Langston Foster, basketball, Kenyon College

• Danny Hopkins, wrestling, Gettysburg College

• YaYa Johnson, track and field, Harvard University

• Avery Le, lacrosse, University of Pennsylvania

• Tory Lynn, field hockey, Bowdoin College

• Sean Magee, squash, Brown University

• Connor Marciano, lacrosse, Babson College

• Liam Miller, lacrosse, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

• Blake Riley, lacrosse, Colby College

• Tanish Tangri, squash, Bates College

• Talia Thomas, water polo, Occidental College

• Dylan Vengoechea, soccer, Gettysburg College

• Paige Clemmer, cross country, Juniata College

• Ian Ferrell, football and baseball, Widener University

• Gardner Huston, squash, Hamilton College

• Raheem Orr, Football, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• Riya Shankaran, squash, Stanford University

• Anik Vossschulte, football, Ithaca College

Even though school has only recently let out, the University of the Fraser Valley is already looking forward, recently releasing the details of how the new chapter of Canada West volleyball will unfold.

For both the men’s and women’s teams, it’ll be an all-Fraser Valley affair as UFV and Trinity Western usher in the new seasons in October.

While they have the convenience of being able to play a neighbour, the Cascades’ skills will truly be tested as they go up against the Langley school’s notoriously tough volleyball teams.

This is especially true in the men’s division, where Trinity Western finished last year’s regular season with the league’s fifth-best record of 12-8, sitting far ahead of UFV, which had a losing regular season record of 7-13.

TWU even captured a national title in recent years, earning the school’s seventh men’s volleyball national championship in 2022-23, which came on the heels of a Canada West title in 2021-22.

So if the Cascades hope to get the best of these neighbouring rivals, they’ll have to bring their A-game to start the season.

However, it’s a very different situation for the UFV women’s team, which finished the 2024-25 regular season tied for Canada West’s best record of 17-3, but was unable to come away with the league title, getting barely edged out by the University of Alberta.

Meanwhile, Trinity Western sat firmly in the middle of the pack, exiting the season with a losing record of 8-12.

The men’s volleyball team will feature the skills of several newcomers in the 2025-26 season:

• Igor Velikovsky, outside (Langley)

• Jaxon Boender, middle (Langley)

• Kolton Corbett, right side (Rosedale)

• Yahia Elsayed, libero (Oakville, Ont.)

• Mathew Liboiron, outside (Edmonton, Alta.)

• Ethan Stoker, outside hitter (Whitehorse, Yukon)

• Jacob Tratch, middle (Saskatoon, Sask.)

The women’s team also added quite a bit of fresh talent:

• Reanna Gage, libero (Hamiota, Man.)

• Makena Hudson, libero (Burnaby)

• Meera Hameed, left side/setter (Edmonton, Alta.)

• Andi Calon, middle blocker (Drumheller, Alta.)

• Bree Unchulenko, outside (Esterhazy, Sask.)

• Bianca Pura, outside hitter (Winnipeg, Man.)

• Brooklyn Ross, libero (Abbotsford)

• Zoey Purvis, setter (Selkirk, Man.)

• Kenzi Steiner, middle/opposite (Fort St. John)

In both the men’s and women’s divisions, the volleyball action begins on Oct. 16 at home, followed by a revenge match on Oct. 17 at Trinity Western.

The full volleyball 2025-26 schedule includes:

Oct. 16 – Trinity Western at UFV

Oct. 17 – UFV at Trinity Western

Oct. 24 – Winnipeg at UFV (men’s team only)

Oct. 25 – Winnipeg at UFV (men’s team only)

Oct. 31 – University of Regina at UFV (women’s team only)

Nov. 1 – University of Regina at UFV (women’s team only)

Nov. 7 – UFV at University of Alberta

Nov. 8 – UFV at University of Alberta

Nov. 14 – UBC Okanagan at UFV

Nov. 15 – UBC Okanagan at UFV

Nov. 28 – UFV at University of Calgary

Nov. 29 – UFV at University of Calgary

Jan. 9 – University of Brandon at UFV

Jan. 10 – University of Brandon at UFV

Jan. 23 – UFV at Thompson Rivers

Jan. 24 – UFV at Thompson Rivers

Jan. 30 – UFV at University of Saskatchewan 

Jan. 31 – UFV at University of Saskatchewan

Feb. 6 – UBC at UFV

Feb. 7 – UBC at UFV

Feb. 13 – University of Manitoba at UFV

Feb. 14 – University of Manitoba at UFV

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