Burnell earns Scholar of Distinction accolade

NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad (PDF)
NFHCA Division II Scholars of Distinction (PDF) 

RINDGE, N.H. (March 7, 2013) – Senior midfielder Megan Bird (Laconia, N.H.), freshman forward Chelsey Burnell (West Baldwin, Maine), freshman goalkeeper Sarah Cote (Athol, Mass.), junior midfielder Alesia Gleason (Harwich, Mass.) and senior back Alyssa Juszczyk (Warren, Mass.) of the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team have all been named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division II National Academic Squad, as announced Tuesday by the NFHCA.

To be eligible for selection, a student-athlete must have posted a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or higher through the fall semester. In addition, Burnell was named a Scholar of Distinction under the newest addition to the National Academic Squad program. Beginning with the 2012-13 academic year, the NFHCA is recognizing student-athletes carrying GPAs of 3.90 or higher as Scholars of Distinction.

Franklin Pierce has now had 89 selections to the NFHCA National Academic Squad, all since 2000, an average of 6.85 student-athletes per season over the last 13 years. Juszczyk wraps up her career with her third selection, as she missed qualifying only during her junior season of 2011. Bird, Burnell, Cote and Gleason are all first-time honorees for the Ravens, who have now had 42 different players honored under the National Academic Squad program.

Bird, a mainstay on the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll, which requires a 3.00 GPA, finally earns her first National Academic Squad selection to cap a record-setting career. She led the team with five assists this past fall, running her career total to 16, to leave the program as the all-time record-holder in that department. Bird's five assists were good enough to tie for 30th in the nation at 0.31 assists per game. She also leaves as the owner of the school record for assists in a season, with eight as a junior in 2011.

Burnell saw significant time as a reserve up front for the Ravens, playing in 16 of the team's 17 games, while earning three starts along the way. She made her first career start on Sept. 26 at American International and scored her first collegiate goal at Massachusetts Lowell on Oct. 6.

Cote was the only goalkeeper on the squad this past fall and, as such, played every minute of all 17 games between the pipes. As a result, she finished fourth in the Northeast-10 in minutes played (1247:14) and saves (135). Along the way, Cote faced 346 shot attempts, including 199 shots on goal, allowed 64 goals, recorded a 3-14 record, notched a 3.59 goals-against average and posted a .678 save percentage. She made 10 saves to pick up her first career shutout at Saint Anselm on Oct. 2.

Gleason transitioned to a starting role in the Franklin Pierce midfield in 2012, as she started all 17 games and has now played in every game (and started all but two) since the beginning of her sophomore season in 2011. Still looking for her first collegiate goal, as she has played largely in a defensive midfield role thus far in her career, Gleason does have three career assists, including two in 2012.

An integral piece of the back line since her first days on campus, Juszczyk wrapped up a career as a four-year starter for the Ravens, as she only missed time due to a broken wrist during her sophomore season in 2010. She finishes her career second in program history with 10 defensive saves, all coming over her final two years, as she recorded six as a senior and four as a junior. The six defensive saves in 2012 were good enough to tie for third in the Northeast-10 and tie for seventh in nation.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce field hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).