St. Francis College Athletics

 

 

Somerset, NJ - Filip Kisdobranski (Novi Sad, Serbia) continues a recent trend for St. Francis (NY), while Maggie O’Connell Dubois (Hagerstown, MD) accomplishes a first for Mount St. Mary’s.  Kisdobranski (men’s) and Dubois (women’s) received the Northeast Conference (NEC) Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the remarkable academic achievement they displayed throughout their recently-completed collegiate careers.

 

The two former student-athletes posted perfect 4.00 grade-point averages (GPA) on their way to receiving the award, which is sponsored by the Conference’s Faculty Athletic Representatives.  For each of the past four years, the NEC has bestowed the honor upon the male and female student-athletes who have exhausted their athletic eligibility, graduated, and posted the highest GPA in the Conference at the conclusion of the academic calendar.

 

Kisdobranski’s selection marks the third time during the four-year history of the award that a St. Francis (NY) student-athlete has received the honor and the second occasion during which a Terrier water polo player/swimmer achieved the feat.  Former St. Francis (NY) basketball player Katja Bavendam claimed the 2007-08 women’s honor after water polo players/swimmers Moran Stern and Andrija Vrdoljak shared the inaugural men’s award in 2006-07.

 

After bursting onto the scene as the 2006 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Rookie of the Year, Kisdobranski saw the accolades pile up during his four-year career in Brooklyn Heights.  He twice earned All-CWPA Northern Division honors, claiming second team accolades in 2006 before moving up to the first team in 2007.  Kisdobranski also made his way onto the All-Tournament Team at the 2007 Eastern Championship.  He tallied three goals in his final collegiate appearance, a 14-9 win over Bucknell this past fall, and finished his career with 67 goals, 23 assists, and 90 points. St. Francis (NY) tabbed Kisdobranski, a Management major, its 2010 Scholar-Athlete of the Year before the NEC followed suit.

 

O’Connell Dubois was one of the top butterfly swimmers in the Northeast Conference, while maintaining a perfect GPA as an Elementary Education major at the Mount.  She finished no lower than ninth in the 100-yard fly during each of her four appearances at the Northeast Conference Championship.  O’Connell Dubois claimed third in the 100 fly “B” final and won the 200 fly “C” final at the 2010 NEC title meet.  She accounted for a career-best fifth-place finish in the 100 fly at the 2009 conference championships, a performance that came shortly after the Maryland native recovered from a bout with Lyme disease.  O’Connell Dubois also swam freestyle and competed on a number of the Mount’s relay teams.