Massarelli, McGrath named 2010 Scholar Athletes of the Year

SALISBURY, Md. - Salisbury University prides itself on both athletic prowess and academic success, and this philosophy couldn't be showcased any more significantly than in the two Sea Gull senior student-athletes selected each year for the Salisbury University Scholar Athlete of the Year award. This year, the top honors go to seniors Justin McGrath and Nicole Massarelli.

Nicole Massarelli (Clarksville, Md.) has been a member of the Salisbury University volleyball team for all four years of her highly successful collegiate career. She holds the career record in blocks at Salisbury; additionally, the middle hitter is ranked sixth on the all-time list in kill s, as well as eighth all-time in both aces and kill attempts. Her presence on the court earned her an All-American honorable mention nod in 2009. For her conference play, Massarelli was named to the All-Capital Athletic Conference second team. Perhaps more telling than her stellar on-court performance is her performance in the classroom; the mathematics major currently boasts a 3.967 grade point average and has been named to the CAC All-Academic team for three years straight. She has been on the Dean's List every semester since 2006, was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National Athletic Honor Society in 2009 and is a member of Pi Mu Epsilon (inducted in 2008). Massarelli isn't the first SU volleyball player to receive the Scholar Athlete of the Year award, as former teammate Stacey Krebs (Eldersburg, Md.) earned the honor in 2009.

Justin McGrath (Perry Hall, Md.) has been a four-year member of the Salisbury University men' s soccer team.  In his time at Salisbury, the defender has been named first-team All-CAC three times (2007, '08, '09) and was a captain for the Sea Gulls in his senior season. In 2009, McGrath was part of a top-ranked Salisbury defense which averag ed a stellar 0.58 GAA (goals allowed average). In contrast, Sea Gull opponents averaged 3.46 GAA. Academically, the biology major currently boasts a 3.874 grade point average and is a member of three honor societies: Phi Kappa Phi, Chi Alpha Sigma, and Beta Beta Beta. For all four years of his collegiate career McGrath has also been awarded with prestigious Maryland House of Delegates as well as Senatorial Scholarships. In the conference, McGrath earned Academic All-CAC honors in 2007 and 2008. He has been named to the Dean's List five times since 2006.

SU Scholar-Athlete Award recipients since 1992