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Minnesota gymnasts find success prioritizing mental health

Elle Mueller and Lily Pederson led Oklahoma to a national gymnastics title, emphasizing mental health. MINNESOTA, USA — For gymnasts, athletic success is often defined by strength, precision and discipline. But for two Minnesota natives now competing at the University of Oklahoma, the path to a national championship was shaped just as much by mental […]

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Elle Mueller and Lily Pederson led Oklahoma to a national gymnastics title, emphasizing mental health.

MINNESOTA, USA — For gymnasts, athletic success is often defined by strength, precision and discipline. But for two Minnesota natives now competing at the University of Oklahoma, the path to a national championship was shaped just as much by mental resilience as physical training. 

Elle Mueller, from Blaine, and Lily Pederson, from White Bear Lake, have been in leotards since they were toddlers. Once competitors, the two became teammates this year at Oklahoma, where they helped lead the Sooners to a national gymnastics title in 2025.

“It’s always been my dream to do college gymnastics,” Pederson said. “To actually be here now — I don’t ever want to stop.”

Mueller, who once competed for Team USA alongside future Olympians, was on an elite track throughout high school. She took online classes to accommodate her intense training schedule, but in her senior year, she made the difficult decision to step away from elite competition — a move driven by her need to prioritize mental health.

“I would do my routines for my coaches, not for myself,” Mueller said. “I’ve learned to do things out of love, for myself — and to finally have confidence in who I am.”

Her mother said she could sense the emotional toll gymnastics was taking.

“I wasn’t going to tell her she needed to change,” she said. “But I knew she was hurting. I knew she wasn’t happy. When she finally said she wanted to step back, I was so thankful.”

Mueller and Pederson’s willingness to prioritize mental well-being reflects a broader shift in the culture of elite sports — a shift catalyzed, in part, by Olympic legend Simone Biles. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles stunned the world by pulling herself from competition after experiencing the “twisties,” a dangerous loss of air awareness. Her openness about mental health struggles helped dismantle long-standing stigmas in the gymnastics community and beyond.

“I think I’ve found my confidence,” Mueller said. “Just to do everything for myself, from a place of love — that’s something I didn’t have before.”

Pederson shared a similar path — one marked by stepping away from pressure and stepping into her own identity as an athlete and person.

“Getting to do this all together, makes it better,” Pederson said.

As the two prepare to return to Oklahoma for another season, both athletes say they’re not just following a path — they’re owning it.

“Mental health matters,” Mueller said. “Don’t push it under the rug. You have to take care of it.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available:

  • National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988 — free, 24/7, confidential support for people in distress.

  • The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ youth): Call 1-866-488-7386 or text ‘START’ to 678-678.

  • NCAA Mental Health Resources: www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/mental-health

  • Athletes for Hope: Offers mental health resources for athletes at all levels — www.athletesforhope.org



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Edina’s Mason West commits to Michigan State for hockey

“I have to work on my skating,” he said. “And the USHL is a different level of hockey. Teams are more physical and try to intimidate. That’s hockey. I need to get better at that part of my game.” Playing in the Big Ten was a strong reason why West chose Michigan State. A conversation […]

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“I have to work on my skating,” he said. “And the USHL is a different level of hockey. Teams are more physical and try to intimidate. That’s hockey. I need to get better at that part of my game.”

Playing in the Big Ten was a strong reason why West chose Michigan State. A conversation with Minnesota Wild draft pick Charlie Stramel, a Rosemount native who was drafted No. 21 overall in 2023, endorsed his college choice. Stramel originally played in college at Wisconsin before transferring to Michigan State last April.

“Playing teams like Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State… that’s great hockey,” West said. “That’s a big reason why I chose Michigan State. And they were the first school to really talk to me, so I’ve always had a good feeling for them.”

West said that the University of Minnesota was never in the mix for his services, but playing against his hometown school adds a little motivation for him.

“I never really talked to them” he said. “But for sure, I want to play them, prove to them what I can do.”

While his future lies on the ice, West said he’s still planning on returning to Edina to play football this fall. He’s got some unfinished business on the gridiron.



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College Credits: Glenview Residents Earn Dean’s List At University Of Iowa

GLENVIEW, IL — We’re keeping track of all the major higher education accomplishments of area students. Send your submissions to eric.degrechie@patch.com. Huskers Named To Deans’ List For spring 2025 More than 6,700 University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have been named to the Deans’ List for the spring semester of the 2024-25 academic year. Students from Glenview […]

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GLENVIEW, IL — We’re keeping track of all the major higher education accomplishments of area students. Send your submissions to eric.degrechie@patch.com.

Huskers Named To Deans’ List For spring 2025

More than 6,700 University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have been named to the Deans’ List for the spring semester of the 2024-25 academic year. Students from Glenview named to the list include:

  • Cole Brady, senior, Dean’s List, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, environmental studies.
  • Nolan Alan Rachiele, junior, Dean’s List, College of Journalism and Mass Communications, broadcasting.

— Merit Pages News


2025 Spring Semester President’s List Honorees Announced At Iowa

More than 1,250 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the president’s list for the 2025 spring semester. Students from Glenview named to the list include:

  • Leah Desserich
  • Megan Flentye
  • Ariella Gutman
  • Emma Owens

— Merit Pages News


2025 Spring Semester Dean’s List Honorees Announced At Iowa

IOWA CITY, IA (06/19/2025)– More than 8,000 students at the University of Iowa were named to the dean’s list for the 2025 spring semester. Students from Glenview making the list include:

  • Francesca Bellavia
  • Emily Braasch
  • Carter Cohen
  • Mia Costello
  • Theodore Demos
  • Leah Desserich
  • Megan Flentye
  • Ariella Gutman
  • Tali Hans
  • Teighan Harris
  • Anna Heppner
  • Madeline Hussey
  • Vanessa Kaddatz
  • Patrick Keenan
  • Emilia Krolikowski
  • Evan McClung
  • Ainslee Nieman
  • Rachel Oldham
  • Emma Owens
  • Emily Pavlik
  • Skylar Read
  • Jacob Rueckert
  • Emmaline Schuh
  • Mackenzie Schuh
  • Emilia Scott
  • Samantha Sladoje
  • Margaret Thein
  • Samuel Zelinsky

— Merit Pages News


Ethan Albin Named to Spring 2025 Dean’s List at Hofstra University

Ethan Albin, of Glenview, excelled during the spring 2025 semester at Hofstra, achieving a GPA of at least 3.5 to earn a spot on the Dean’s List. Ethan’s major is Journalism.

— Merit Pages News



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Puhl Named UW-Eau Claire Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach

Story Links **Release courtesy of UW-Eau Claire Sports Information EAU CLAIRE, Wis. –University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Director of Athletics Jason Verdugo announced the hiring of Courtney “CJ” Puhl as the university’s Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach on June 23. Puhl served as an assistant coach with the Blugolds in 2024 and 2025, including a […]

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**Release courtesy of UW-Eau Claire Sports Information

EAU CLAIRE, Wis.

–University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Director of Athletics Jason Verdugo announced the hiring of Courtney “CJ” Puhl as the university’s Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach on June 23.

Puhl served as an assistant coach with the Blugolds in 2024 and 2025, including a stint as interim head coach at the end of the 2025 campaign. She helped UW-Eau Claire finish as the runner-up at the WIAC Tournament this spring. The Blugolds posted a 23-12 record over the last two seasons with Puhl on the coaching staff.

“CJ has shown a remarkable dedication to developing our student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom,” Verdugo said. “I am confident that her commitment to their holistic development will ensure the program’s continued growth and the production of consistently competitive teams.”

Prior to her UW-Eau Claire experience, Puhl coached high school lacrosse teams for Hudson High School (Wis.) and Coronado High School (Nev.) between 2018-2023. She helped both programs earn state runner-up finishes — Hudson in 2022 and Coronado in 2023. She also has extensive experience coaching in the club game.

“I am so excited to continue to grow the game of lacrosse in the Chippewa Valley with such a talented and resilient group of women,” Puhl said. “There is so much talent in our community and I am excited to continue this journey with the Blugolds.”

Puhl was a four-year lacrosse player in high school and played one season for Augustana College at the Division III level.

In addition to her work as a lacrosse coach, Puhl has worked in education for several years. Most recently, she has worked with Four Lakes Education and Wisconsin Virtual Academy as a virtual education case manager.


 

# # # # #



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Dayle Ross played most of her senior season at SCSU with torn ACL

Dayle Ross had begun doing postseason workouts in the spring with teammates on the St. Cloud State women’s hockey team when she heard something troubling. “I was a little bit worried because I heard clicking in my knee,” Ross said. “I thought it was something like my patella tendon is torn or there was some […]

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Dayle Ross had begun doing postseason workouts in the spring with teammates on the St. Cloud State women’s hockey team when she heard something troubling.

“I was a little bit worried because I heard clicking in my knee,” Ross said. “I thought it was something like my patella tendon is torn or there was some cartilage floating around. You never know.

“I reached out to my trainer and asked if I could get an MRI. It showed that it was a torn ACL and didn’t figure it would be that extreme. When I found out, I was going full out with the girls, playing games. I was feeling the best I’ve ever felt. I remember having a conversation with

(SCSU coach) Brian (Idalski)

and saying that I’ve never felt so good after a season and physically strong.”

In short order, she had surgery to repair the damage.

“We got it done within a week,” Ross said. “It was pretty fast. I’m so thankful for the staff and the doctor. If I didn’t get it done, I could have wrecked something else. This was probably the best move I made for me for hockey.

“By graduation, I was still limping and in a brace. I stayed an extra month to work with the physio and (SCSU athletic trainer) Rachel (Nagel) and all the amazing staff in St. Cloud. I can’t thank them enough for helping an old senior out.”

Ross, a 5-foot-6 22-year-old defenseman from Spirit River, Alberta, is in Ottawa and will be on hand at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, for the Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft. Online, you can watch the draft on the PWHL’s

YouTube station.

With Vancouver and Seattle joining as expansion teams, there will be 48 players picked over six rounds. Some draft projections have Ross going as high as the top 30 in the draft.

“At the last second, I saw the Hockey News had me ranked in the top 30 and thought, ‘maybe I should go,'” she said. “I thought that I’d be kicking myself if I don’t go. If I don’t get picked, there’s amazing people that will be there and all these coaches I’ve talked to. There are players that I grew up with or played with that will be there.

“I just want to go there for the experience more than anything.”

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St. Cloud State defenseman Dayle Ross celebrates a goal at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

St. Cloud State University Athletics

Ross said that her rehabilitation from surgery is ahead of schedule. She has begun jogging and is lifting weights.

“They just don’t want me to turn my knee,” she said. “I can move forward and backward and side-to-side slowly. It’s about the way I move it to protect my ACL that is starting to re-attach. I can run as long as I want, but I can’t sprint yet. It’s a slow process. I’m still getting stronger.”

Ross is known for being an ardent trainer both during and after the season. During the offseason, she is typically on the ice 3-4 times a day with either a skating instructor or giving skating lessons.

She is hoping to be able to get back on the ice by the end of July.

“I’m so used to skating all the time that I’m missing it,” Ross said. “I’m hoping that when I get back to playing hockey, my love for the game will be that much more. I hate that I’m at this point, but I know when I get back, I’ll enjoy it more.”

It sounds like she may be missing coaching youth players as much as she misses working on her own skills.

“I’m hoping to get on the ice as soon as I can because I’m missing working with the kids,” she said.

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St. Cloud State senior defenseman Dayle Ross (2) carries the puck with Mercyhurst’s Sofia Ljung defending in a nonconference women’s hockey game on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

St. Cloud State University Athletics

While she was playing through her injury, Ross ended up having the best season of her college career. She had 13 assists, 15 points, a career-best 103 shots, 46 blocked shots and led

the Huskies

in plus/minus with a career-best plus-11.

To put that plus/minus number in perspective, her next closest teammates were sophomore forward Sofianna Sundelin, senior defenseman Ella Anick and freshman defenseman Siiri Yrjölä, who were all plus-3.

Keep in mind, Ross was playing on the top defensive pairing, so she was facing most of the top scoring forwards in NCAA Division I every game.

“It’s not like I didn’t play against top lines. I was out there a lot,” Ross said. “I think (Team USA and Minnesota forward) Abbey Murphy didn’t scored on me a single time. I know that’s a good stat to have and I’m thankful for that. I know they don’t look at just stats.”

So after she got injured, how was she able to get on the ice and play?

“After the week we played Wisconsin, we had an off weekend and I took that week off and played fine,” Ross said. “I didn’t have any pain. My knee would just swell after the game sometimes.

“I did the rehab before practice, I would do some extra stuff to get through the season. I didn’t realize that I tore my ACL. My quad was strong enough to cope with the pain and cope that sensibility of my knee shifting. I played the whole season without a brace.”

IJ8A0338.jpg

St. Cloud State defenseman Dayle Ross (2) carries the puck in a game against Wisconsin with teammate Ally Qualley (12) and Badgers forward Laila Edwards (10) in pursuit at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

St. Cloud State University Athletics

Ross’ agent is Nick DiLisi and she said that he has been talking to some PWHL teams as they prepare for the draft.

“He talks with them about who I am as a player and as a person,” she said. “He does the talking … I have no idea how many teams. A couple for sure. If there was none that my agent was talking to, I’d be a little worried. He does all that work for me.

“He’s really helped me with taking phone calls from teams and dealing with all the media stuff. He deals with talking with all the teams, which I’m not good at. So I really appreciate that about him.”

Ross also has an ally in

Idalski, who was named the first head coach of the Vancouver team on Monday, June 23.

2 Dayle Ross.jpg

“Brian is my little agent as well,” said Ross, who played three seasons for Idalski. “He has so many contacts and knows so many people and knows me personally. If there’s something bad about me, he’ll tell them. If there’s something good about me, he’ll tell them. It’s nice to have him on my side.”

Ross said that she is just hoping that she gets a shot in the PWHL and was happy with how she played last season.

“At the end of the year, I had a decent amount of points and I thought I played really well,” she said. “At the end, you never really know. The media talks about all the players that score a zillion goals and have all the points on the top teams. But there are really good players on other teams that maybe don’t get as many points, but they might get as many points if they were on one of those top teams.”

While the surgery has been a setback to her training, Ross is optimistic about her chances of getting drafted.

“I was really worried about my injury, but that’s just part of the game,” she said. “I’m a good defenseman and I have to believe that I’m good. I have to sell myself a bit.”

Ross is one of three former SCSU players likely to be drafted. The other players are

forward Emma Gentry

and

goalie Sanni Ahola,

who also finished their eligibility.

Ross has earned her degree in exercise science and was a two-time WCHA All-Academic Team pick. In her career, she had 33 assists, 40 points, 252 shots, 92 penalty minutes, was a plus-6 and had 269 blocked shots in 142 games. In 2022-23, Ross set an NCAA record with 104 blocked shots.





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DI Board of Directors formally adopts changes to roster limits

Story Links The Division I Board of Directors on Monday adopted additional changes to NCAA rules to implement the court-approved House settlement. The changes — which codify roster limits, including legislated exceptions for current student-athletes whose roster spots would have been impacted by those limits — are effective July 1. “With the […]

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The Division I Board of Directors on Monday adopted additional changes to NCAA rules to implement the court-approved House settlement. The changes — which codify roster limits, including legislated exceptions for current student-athletes whose roster spots would have been impacted by those limits — are effective July 1.

“With the court’s approval of the House settlement, college sports are entering a new era of increased benefits for college athletes,” said Tim Sands, chair of the board and president at Virginia Tech. “Today’s vote to codify the roster provisions of the settlement formally removes limits on scholarships for schools that opt in, dramatically increasing the potential available scholarships for student-athletes across all sports in Division I.”

Moving forward, NCAA rules for Division I programs will no longer include sport-specific scholarship limits. Instead, schools in the defendant conferences and others that opt in to the settlement rules and associated benefits to student-athletes will have roster limits, and schools will have the option to offer scholarships to any and all of those student-athletes. This change will dramatically increase the number of scholarships potentially available to Division I student-athletes, including more than doubling the possible number of scholarships that can be offered to women. NCAA schools have a deadline of June 30 to indicate whether they intend to opt into the settlement for the 2025-26 academic year.

The rules changes include legislated exceptions for current student-athletes with remaining eligibility whose roster spots would have been impacted by immediate implementation of the roster limits. Those designated student-athletes will be identified by their current or former schools, and regardless of the school for which they participate, they will not count toward that school’s roster limits for the duration of their eligibility.

The division’s core guarantees — which include scholarship protections — are not impacted by the rules changes. If a student-athlete receiving athletics aid loses a roster spot for roster management, athletics performance reasons, or due to injury, that student-athlete’s scholarship cannot be revoked unless and until the student chooses to transfer.

A document containing frequently asked questions and the answers to those questions was released shortly after settlement approval and will be updated as appropriate. 

Decision-Making Working Group

The board received an update from the Decision-Making Working Group on recommendations that, if adopted at the board’s August meeting, would restructure governance in Division I.

After weeks of soliciting membership feedback, via surveys and receiving direct correspondence from stakeholders, the working group met again in mid-June and made some modifications to its original concepts for committee composition and structure.

The working group’s recommendations would streamline decision-making, creating a flatter and more agile governance structure that would enable Division I to act more quickly when changes are needed. A more streamlined structure would also more clearly delineate where responsibility for membership decisions lies, thus increasing member schools’ accountability for rules they propose and adopt.

The recommended structure would, however, continue to highlight the tie between college sports and academics, focus on increased athletics opportunities, and emphasize providing a safe and healthy athletics environment. It will also protect access to championships for all Division I conferences and preserve existing revenue distribution formulas.

If ultimately adopted in August, the Division I governance structure will comprise:

  • The Division I Board of Directors, which will maintain oversight over the division’s finances, litigation and the NCAA infractions process (for violations or rules unrelated to the settlement terms).
  • The Administrative Committee, which will report to the board and will have legislative oversight for rules not included in the settlement.
  • The Academics and Eligibility Committee, which will report to the Administrative Committee and which — via two subcommittees — will have oversight over minimum standards for academics and athletics eligibility requirements.
  • The Membership Committee, which will report to the Administrative Committee and will have oversight over minimum national standards for NCAA and conference membership requirements.
  • The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which will report directly to the Division I Board of Directors.
  • Sport-specific oversight committees, which will report to the Administrative Committee when needed and will have authority over playing and practice seasons, recruiting rules, Division I playing rules and championship administration. Sport oversight committees already exist in football (Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision) and men’s and women’s basketball.

For all of the committees, the working group determined that voting representation — including the weighted voting for autonomy conferences, totaling approximately 65% on each committee — was appropriate, reflecting the recognizable prominence of the schools competing in those conferences, as well as the increased legal scrutiny those conferences face as compared with their peers.

The working group supported seats designated for certain subdivisions in Division I being populated by representatives from schools or conference offices.

Conference membership requirements

In April, the board directed NCAA staff to share concepts for potential adjustments to conference membership requirements with NCAA members for feedback.

After reviewing the feedback from NCAA members, the board took no action, noting a broad lack of support for changes at this time. Although the board will not consider any further changes to the conference membership requirements in the near future, it will consider a moratorium on applications for schools reclassifying from Division II and III to Division I during its Aug. 5 videoconference.



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Quartet from Men’s Hockey Earns CSC Academic All-District® At-Large Recognition

Story Links EASTON, Mass. (June 23, 2025) – Junior Evan Orr and sophomores Anthony Galante, Charlie Banquier, and Dominick Campione of the Stonehill College men’s hockey program have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team, as announced by the organization. To qualify for Academic All-District® honors, student-athletes must have competed […]

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EASTON, Mass. (June 23, 2025) – Junior Evan Orr and sophomores Anthony Galante, Charlie Banquier, and Dominick Campione of the Stonehill College men’s hockey program have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team, as announced by the organization.

To qualify for Academic All-District® honors, student-athletes must have competed in at least 90 percent of their team’s games or started at least 66 percent of them. For goaltenders, eligibility requires starting at least 50 percent of a team’s contests.

Galante, a semifinalist for the 73rd Walter Brown Award and a DI Independent All-Star Team selection, earns his first CSC Academic All-District® recognition. A finance major with a 3.61 cumulative GPA, Galante led the Skyhawks in scoring with 22 points on 13 goals and nine assists. His 22 points established a new program record for a single season during the Division I era, surpassing the previous mark of 18 set by junior captain Frank Ireland in 2023–24. Galante also tied for the team lead with four power-play goals and tallied two game-winning goals.

Orr also receives Academic All-District® honors for the first time in his career. The junior defenseman posted a 3.64 GPA while delivering a breakout season on the ice. Named NCAA Division I Independent Player of the Month for January, Orr finished the season with a career-best 15 points, including eight goals and seven assists. His eight goals ranked second on the team, and he led the Skyhawks with five game-winning goals—three of which came in overtime. One of those overtime winners lifted Stonehill to a historic 3–2 victory over No. 9 UMass Lowell, the program’s first win over a nationally ranked Division I opponent.

Campione and Banquier round out Stonehill’s Academic All-District® selections after each earned a 3.61 GPA while majoring in finance. Campione emerged as one of the team’s most productive blueliners, ranking second among defensemen and fourth overall on the squad with 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists). Banquier contributed a career-high 10 points on two goals and eight assists over 31 games and ranked third on the team in blocked shots with 43.

Stonehill’s four CSC Academic All-District® honorees mark the most honorees for the Skyhawks at the Division I level. Stonehill men’s hockey improved by 10 wins in its third season at the DI level, capping off the 2024-25 campaign with a 12-22 mark.

About College Sports Communicators

College Sports Communicators (CSC) was founded in 1957 and is a 3,200+ member national association for strategic, creative, and digital communicators across intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The current name of the organization was adopted following a member-wide vote on Aug. 31, 2022.

 

From its founding in 1957 until the 2022 name change, the organization was known as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

 

The name change signaled a significant step in a broader strategic plan to highlight the association’s evolution and growth. The move better aligns with the association’s membership makeup and further positions the organization to support and advocate for its members who serve in the communications, digital, and creative sports industry, regardless of position or title.

 

The organization, which celebrated its 65th anniversary during the 2021-22 academic year, is the second-oldest management association in all intercollegiate athletics. College Sports Communicators became an affiliated partner with NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) in December 2008.

 

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 





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