Suffolk Softball Sylvester Sisters Selected as GNAC Player and Rookie of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JWU's Corona repeats
as GNAC Pitcher of the Year

WINTHROP, Mass. – Suffolk University senior catcher Delaney Sylvester and Suffolk freshman pitcher/utility Payton Sylvester have both collected major seasonal awards as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference announced its Softball All-Conference Teams on Tuesday.

The senior/freshman sister duo were both named to the All-GNAC First Team, with Delaney receiving GNAC Player of the Year honors and Payton being named the GNAC Rookie of the Year, as voted upon by the league's 13 head coaches. 

Delaney claimed the league's offensive triple crown, leading the GNAC in hitting (.467), home runs (10) and RBI (45), while Payton finished second only to her sister among conference leaders with 40 RBI, to go along with 39 runs scored and 25 extra-base hits. In the circle, Payton went 10-3 with a 1.42 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 59.1 innings.

For the second straight season, senior right-hander Jennifer Corona has been selected as the GNAC Pitcher of the Year. Corona helped lead the Wildcats to their fourth straight GNAC Championship this past weekend, defeating Suffolk in the final for the second straight year.

Corona led all GNAC pitchers in the three major categories, posting 16 victories, a 1.28 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 137.0 innings of work entering the NCAA Tournament, where JWU will take on TCNJ this Friday.

JWU head coach Kim Camara-Harvey was selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year, as her Wildcats have gone 31-11 overall and 22-2 in GNAC regular-season play. JWU placed four on the All-GNAC First Team and had eight selections overall this spring.

Joining Corona on the First Team from JWU were junior shortstop Brenna DuPerry, junior outfielder Tiffani Semanchik and senior designated player Katie Rufo. DuPerry is hitting .326 with 22 RBI, 37 runs and 14 stolen bases, while Semanchik currently owns a stellar .464 average with 31 runs and 21 RBI. Rufo meanwhile is hitting .400 with a .714 slugging percentage, registering seven homers and 39 RBI.

From Suffolk, senior outfielder Devlin Frost and senior pitcher Taylor Holmes joined the Sylvester sisters on the First Team. Frost has 23 RBI and 30 runs in 40 games, while Holmes was fourth in the GNAC with a 1.91 ERA and went 10-1 on the mound.

Also garnering First Team recognition were Saint Joseph's College of Maine junior first baseman Melodie Bailey, Albertus Magnus College senior third baseman and former two-time GNAC Player of the Year Gillian Fortier, as well as the Simmons College sophomore duo of second baseman Lauren Del Vacchio and outfielder Molly Hennessey.

FIRST TEAM
C – Delaney Sylvester, Suffolk (Sr., Worcester, Mass.) 
1B – Melodie Bailey, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Lebanon, Maine) 
2B – Lauren Del Vacchio, Simmons (So., Murrieta, Calif.) 
3B – Gillian Fortier, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Naugatuck, Conn.) 
SS – Brenna DuPerry, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Cranston, R.I.) 
OF – Tiffani Semanchik, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Flemington, N.J.) 
OF – Molly Hennessey, Simmons (So., Charlton, Mass.) 
OF – Devlin Frost, Suffolk (Sr., Tewksbury, Mass.) 
UTIL – Payton Sylvester, Suffolk (Fr., Worcester, Mass.) 
DP – Katie Rufo, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., Natick, Mass.) 
P – Jennifer Corona, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., Middle Island, N.Y.) 
P – Taylor Holmes, Suffolk (Sr., Ashford, Conn.) 

SECOND TEAM
C – Casey Sheehan, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Medway, Mass.) 
1B – Kayla McKinnon, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Cambridge, Mass.) 
2B – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Limerick, Maine) 
3B – Meghan Gavin, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Wallingford, Conn.) 
SS – Meghan Elliott, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Mendon, Mass.) 
OF – Aliza Esposito, Albertus Magnus (So., East Haven, Conn.) 
OF – Olivia Digiacomo, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., Franklin, Mass.) 
OF – Ashley Zulla, Suffolk (So., Columbus, N.J.) 
UTIL – Kristin Frost, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Pearl City, Hawaii) 
DP – McKenna Driscoll, Saint Joseph (Conn.) (So., Bristol, Conn.)
P – Megan Kieselback, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Wethersfield, Conn.) 
P – Juliet Nelson, Simmons (Sr., Cumberland, R.I.) 

THIRD TEAM
C – Jill Skalski, Mount Ida (Fr., Cranford, N.J.) 
1B – Naomi Rinaldo, Norwich (Jr., Middlefield, Conn.) 
2B – Amaria Sharon, Saint Joseph (Conn.) (So., Tolland, Conn.)
3B – Kara Klimaszewski, Saint Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., Naugatuck, Conn.) 
SS – Hayley Microulis, Mount Ida (Sr., Pawtucket, R.I.) 
OF – Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda, Emmanuel (Mass.) (So., South Boston, Mass.) 
OF – Mikayla Ramsdell, Rivier (Jr., Salem, N.H.) 
OF – Ivy Vann, Simmons (Fr., Bend, Ore.)
UTIL – Olivia Burgos, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Newington, Conn.) 
DP – Maizie Lee, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Saco, Maine) 
P – Laura Anderson, Albertus Magnus (So., East Haven, Conn.) 
P – Madeleine Smith, Mount Ida (Fr., San Diego, Calif.) 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Delaney Sylvester, Suffolk
PITCHER OF THE YEAR – Jennifer Corona, Johnson & Wales (RI)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Payton Sylvester, Suffolk
COACH OF THE YEAR – Kim Camara-Harvey, Johnson & Wales (RI)
INSTITUTIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – Mount Ida

ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Melissa Castillo, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Taftville, Conn.)
Sabrina Carreira, Anna Maria (Jr., West Hartford, CT., Conn.)
Sarah Hoisl, Emmanuel (So., West Hartford, Conn.)
Taylor Fay, Johnson & Wales (Sr., East Islip, N.Y.)
Ashley Gatchell, Lasell (Sr., Franklin, Mass.)
Michelle Cilley, Mount Ida (Fr., Dracut, Mass.)
Makenna Wade, Norwich (So., Pensacola, Fla.)
Kelsey Grimard (Regis)  (Jr., Pelham, N.H.)
Michelle Woodruff, Saint Joseph (CT) (Fr., Southington, Conn.)
Kaylee Burns, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (So., Saco, Maine)
Devynn Ledgard, Simmons (Fr., Sterling, Mass.)
Madison Eucalitto, Suffolk (Sr., Old Saybrook, Conn.)

Sister, Sister! ???? Congratulations are in order for the @suffolksoftball dynamic duo for scooping up a pair of major awards, while @jwusoftball Jennifer Corona repeated as the conference?s top pitcher in the circle for #TheGNAC champs! ???? Swing by www.thegnac.com for the full release of All-Conference honorees! #d3softball #ncaad3 #allconference #congrats #softball

A post shared by #TheGNAC (@thegnac) on May 8, 2018 at 11:36am PDT

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –