Courtesy Massachusetts Maritime Sports Information

Buzzards Bay, Mass. --  Massachusetts Maritime senior men’s soccer and outdoor track & field standout Jonathan White has been named as the 2010-11 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Co-Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his outstanding athletic and academic achievements during his career at the Academy.  The award was announced earlier this week by MASCAC Commissioner Angela Baumann during the league’s annual spring meetings.

The MASCAC Scholar-Athlete Award is presented annually to both a male and female student-athlete who has excelled in academics and athletics while attending a Massachusetts state university or institution.  To be considered for the award, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade point average and must also be in his or her last year of athletic eligibility.

A native of Lynnfield, Mass. and a graduate of Lynnfield High School, White shares this year’s honor with Westfield State University senior men’s ice hockey standout Dennis Zak.  He also becomes the eighth Buccaneer to receive the prestigious accolade since its inception in 1980, as he joins Chris Roller ’80 (the inaugural recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award), John Hendy ’82, Chris Scyocurka ’83, William Johnson ’85, David Mik ’86, Peter Moschini ’89 and Ryan Woodland ’99.

A first team all-MASCAC defender for Head Coach Greg Perry’s soccer squad last fall, White also participated in the New England Inter-Regional All-Star Game at Harvard last November.  A two-year team captain on the field, he earned a spot on the 2010 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District team for his efforts in the classroom, as he holds a 3.727 cumulative grade point average as an International Maritime Business major at the Academy.  This spring, White finished 10^th in the 400 meters while anchoring the 4 X 400 meter relay team at the 2011 MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships for Co-Head Coaches Chris Barry and Cathy Lohse-Whitelaw after not competing in the sport since high school.  White’s excellence was recognized on May 11^th when he was named as the recipient of the 2011 Massachusetts Maritime Alumni Male Athlete of the Year, the same evening he also received both a Athletic Director’s Academic Achievement Award and a Senior Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Service Award.

A five-time honoree on both the Massachusetts Maritime Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and MASCAC All-Academic team as well as a two-time National Student-Athlete Day Excellence honoree, White served during the past academic year as Executive Officer in the Academy’s Regiment of Cadets and has been a regimental leader throughout his collegiate career, and he spent the Spring 2010 semester at Shanghai Maritime and conducted soccer clinics while at the Academy.  He also served as Vice President of the Academy’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been an active participant in the MASCAC SAAC as well.  White has also been active in the community during his matriculation in serving as a Special Olympics volunteer while also participating in activities at Children’s Cove.

 “Jonathan White truly defines the term ‘scholar-athlete’ in so many ways, and I just couldn’t be more happier for him and proud of him on receiving this great honor,” Massachusetts Maritime Director of Athletics Bob Corradi says of White’s accolade.  “His all-around excellence in competition, in the classroom and in the community has helped accentuate the true meaning of pride, and his selection bolsters the legacy of student-athletes that have excelled at the Academy.”

Since 1980, Massachusetts Maritime and Westfield State have had the most MASCAC Male Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, as the selection of both White and Zak give the Buccaneers and Owls eight honorees each.  Salem State follows with four honorees, while Fitchburg State is next with three.