Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI football senior Dan Eckler was selected as the New England Football Writers Division II/III Gold Helmet recipient for his play last week at Norwich. He is the first Engineer to earn the award since Mitch McClune in 2012 and the first Crimson and Gray offensive selection since Justin Wells in 2005.

WPI football seniors Brian Murtagh and Dan Eckler were lauded by the Liberty League for their play this past weekend at Norwich. Murtagh was tabbed defensive performer of the week while Eckler was named the co-offensive performer of the week.

Eckler threw for 342 yards on 13-of-18 passing, including touchdowns strikes to four different receivers, and ran for an additional score as WPI went on the road and defeated Norwich 40-17 Saturday.

Mills scored a pair of goals, including the first of her career, and assisted on the game-winner in an electrifying 4-3 triumph over city rival Worcester State Tuesday night.

Bursey accounted for 10 of the Engineers 41 points Friday night against Worcester State. He converted all four PATs and was successful from 35 and 36 yards in the second half. Bursey also averaged 60.8 yards per kickoff for a total of 486 yards and one touchback.

Seniors Dan Eckler and Blaine Bursey took home Liberty League football weekly honors for their contributions Friday night versus Worcester State. Eckler was named the offensive performer of the week as Bursey repeated as special teams performer of the week. Senior Jason Lamb was placed on the honor roll.

Duarte was a hitting machine, posting a .500 hitting percentage as the Engineers went 3-0 last week to stay unbeaten (6-0) to start the season.

Vigliotta began a seven day stretch with a pair of assists last Sunday at Worcester State. He followed it up with the game-tying goal and a helper on the double-overtime game-winner at Framingham State Wednesday.

WPI swimming & diving senior Andrew Bauer has been named a preseason All-America by CollegeSwimming.com, as announced earlier this week.

Senior Blaine Bursey and freshman Sean McAllen earned weekly football awards as chosen by the Liberty League. Bursey was named the league's special teams performer of the week while McAllen was tabbed as the rookie of the week. Senior Brian Murtagh was named an honorable mention.

Gray handed in a natural hat trick, including the game-winner, in the Engineers 2016 debut at Suffolk Thursday. She also chipped in on an insurance goal Saturday in a victory vs Salem State.

Bursey converted all four PAT attempts and all three field goal opportunities, including the overtime game-winner to lift WPI past MIT, 37-34 Friday night.

Paced by NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship participants, senior Liz Pellegrini, senior Alex Price, and freshman Michelle Gencorelli, five student-athletes drew recognition for their performance on the track and in the classroom. Lea Strangio and Warren Staver rounded out the individual honorees. Both the men and women's teams were honored as well for their cumulative GPAs.

The New England Baseball Journal had named WPI's Alex Venditti (Newton, MA) as its Division III Player of the Year, as revealed in the July 2016 edition of the publication.

Pellegrini, a biomedical engineering major and first WPI female runner to earn All-America honors, joined some elite company Tuesday evening when she was awarded the Key to the City by Worcester Mayor Joe Petty.

The senior was a member of the WPI women's soccer team where she was a two-time NEWMAC All-Conference honoree, two-time All-New England selection while capping off her career with a Third Team All-America recognition. Off the field she was participated in Big Brother Big Sister, Colleges Against Cancer, Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Student Teaching Assistant, Institute of Industrial Engineers and was a member of Alpha Pi Mu (Industrial Engineers Honors Society).

Five members of the WPI swimming and diving team were named College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-Americans while each gender earned CSCAA Scholar All-America team status.

WPI senior Liz Pellegrini adds Academic All-America accolades to her collection of honors following the 2015-16 track & field season as she was selected to the second team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The WPI athletic department recently honored all of its 20 varsity teams which encompasses nearly 600 student-athletes at its annual awards banquet. During the festivities, twelve student-athletes were presented with major awards. These accolades highlight some of the best varsity student-athletes at WPI who excel both in the classroom and in their respective sports.

WPI senior Alex Venditti has earned another major award and was named All-ECAC along with classmates Vinny D'Ambrosio and John Mulready, as well as junior Mike Vaitkunas. Venditti adds ECAC Division III New England Player of the Year and first team honors to his haul. D'Ambrosio, Mulready and Vaitkunas, meanwhile, were named to the second team.

Softball head coach Whitney Goldstein along with sophomore Nina Murphy-Cook, sophomore Ama Biney, senior Clare Doolin and junior Lindsay Gurska were recognized by the ECAC for their on-field performance in 2016. Goldstein was named the ECAC Division III Softball Coach of the Year while Murphy-Cook, Biney and Doolin were named All-ECAC first teamers and Gurska headlined the second team.

WPI men's swimming and diving senior Nathan Hughes (Arlington, VA) and field hockey and softball junior Hope Shevchuk (Burlington, CT) have been named to Academic All-America Division III At-Large teams as voted upon by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Hughes was selected to the second team while Shevchuk earned third team accolades.

The WPI women's rowing trio of junior Audrey Allen, junior Jennifer Golden and senior Kristin Olson were named Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Scholar-Athletes for the second consecutive year.

Senior Alex Venditti, the 2013 rookie of the year and second team selection, also takes home first team honors for the second year in-a-row. He was joined on the top team by classmates Vinny D'Ambrosio and John Mulready, in addition to junior Mike Vaitkunas. Freshman Steven Gallagher and sophomore Steven D'Agostino represented the Engineers on the second team.

Senior Jason Beauregard finished 16th in the hammer throw with his initial toss of 175-3. He was fourth in his flight after the first round. Edward Cummins from Rhode Island College claimed the title with a heave of 204 feet.

WPI senior Liz Pellegrini capped off her outstanding career by resetting her own school record en route to a runner up finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday at Wartburg.

Thursday was a busy day on the baseball awards circuit for WPI senior Alex Venditti. The senior was named to a pair of All-America teams, including first team by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and second team by D3baseball.com.

Junior Austin Scott, senior Liz Pellegrini and sophomore Lea Strangio were named Academic All-District in the sports of cross country and/or track & field by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) from District I comprised of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. They now move on to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

WPI senior Liz Pellegrini (Worcester, MA) advanced to Saturday's 400-meter hurdle national title race thanks to a school-record performance Thursday afternoon at the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Wartburg. The 4x100-meter relay, meanwhile, finished 13th.

WPI sophomore Nina Murphy-Cook (Roseville, CA) has been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-America Second Team. The selections were revealed at the NCAA Division III Softball Championship banquet.