Franklin Pierce-UMass Lowell to Issue First Annual Jeff Burstein Award

RINDGE, N.H. (October 1, 2001) - Franklin Pierce and the University of Massachusetts Lowell have announced the formation of the Jeff Burstein Award.

The first annual award will be presented at the conclusion of Wednesday's men's soccer match (3 p.m.) between the two schools at Crystal Field on the Franklin Pierce campus to the Most Outstanding Player of the match as voted by members of the school's coaches, administration and attending media members.

The award is named in memory of Jeff Burstein, the 1998 Walter Peterson Male Student-Athlete of the Year at Franklin Pierce and former assistant soccer and baseball coach at UMass Lowell.

Burstein died tragically on July 25th when the vehicle he was driving was struck by a vehicle driving in the opposite direction that jumped a median near his hometown of Beachwood, N.J. He was 25. Burstein was a four-year letterwinner in men's soccer and baseball at Franklin Pierce from 1994-98. He was an All-New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) performer as captain of the baseball team and also served as captain of the soccer team his senior year.

Upon graduation, Burstein moved on to UMass Lowell where he served as assistant coach with both the men's and women's soccer programs and the baseball team for two years.

He had just recently moved back to his hometown with his wife, the former Kerri Jendras, '95, a former volleyball player and head coach at Franklin Pierce, who were married last winter. Burstein was teaching in the Toms River school system and was coaching at his former high school.

The deserving individual will receive a plaque following the match and will have his name placed on a permanent trophy to be kept on each campus in Burstein's memory.