MANSFIELD, Mass. – On Monday, the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) announced its list of 25 student-athletes who have been nominated for the 2024-25 Man and Woman of the Year awards. This year's nominees from Saint Anselm College are seniors Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) of the women's basketball team and Brandon Potts (Bowie, Md.) of the football team.
Each NE10 institution nominates senior student-athletes who have excelled in all areas of their collegiate careers – on the playing surface, in the classroom, and within the community. The two winners are set to be announced at the NE10 Banquet on Tuesday, June 3rd. Both honors are selected by the Conference's Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) Council.
The 2024-25 academic year marks the 13th time that the league will award the NE10 Man of the Year honor, while the NE10 Woman of the Year honor has been awarded since 2005-06 and will be put forth as the league's official NCAA Woman of the Year candidate.
Hoyt and Potts represent Saint Anselm as this year's female and male nominees, respectively. Both are seeking to become the first Hawks in school history to earn the prestigious honor.
On the court, Hoyt was named the NE10 Player of the Year, the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) East Region Player of the Year, and an Honorable Mention All-American by two different organizations. She led the NE10 in points per game (18.1) and field goal percentage (55.9), while ranking sixth in rebounds (8.1 per game) and eighth in blocks (24). In 28 games, she also recorded 45 assists (third on the team) and 29 steals (fourth).
Hoyt's name is etched throughout the Saint Anselm record books. She ranks 10th all-time with 1,368 career points and ninth with 559 made field goals. Her career field goal percentage (.516) is second in program history, and her 95 career blocks rank sixth.
In the classroom, Hoyt was named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Team for the 2024–25 winter season, meeting the criteria of starting at least half of the team's games as a significant contributor while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher.
On the gridiron, Potts earned All-NE10 Second Team honors at cornerback. He led the team with 28 solo tackles and led all defensive backs on the squad with 44 total tackles, both of which were career-highs. Potts also recorded one interception, tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles, and broke up four passes. His 24 career passes defensed are the sixth-most all-time in program history. Following the season, Potts was invited to the Dream Bowl in Little Elm, Texas, where he earned All-Dream Bowl Second Team honors.
Potts matched his on-field performance with academic excellence, earning a spot on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team by maintaining a GPA of 3.50 or higher while competing in 90 percent of the team's games. He was also selected to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Team for the fall season, meeting the same criteria as Hoyt.
For a full list of this year's nominees, see below.
2024-25 NE10 Man and Woman of the Year Nominees
Adelphi: Courtney Wengryn (softball) and Matthew Wenz (men's track & field)
AIC: Morgan Martellio (field hockey) and Anderson Cuello Batista (baseball)
Assumption: Marina Callahan (women's basketball) and Eric Giarnese (baseball)
Bentley: Maggie Whitmore (women's basketball) and Joe Rivers (football)
Franklin Pierce: Aino Martikainen (women's soccer), Kesinee Prukmathakul (women's golf), and Ryan Outerbridge (men's cross country / track & field)
New Haven: Katie Schenk (women's lacrosse) and Joe Vitale (football)
Pace: Krista Dietz (field hockey), Brianna Shea (softball), Tray Alexander (men's basketball), and Daniel Zabbia (men's lacrosse)
Saint Anselm: Melanie Hoyt (women's basketball) and Brandon Potts (football)
Saint Michael's: Alexandra Báez Rentas (volleyball) and David Ciancio (men's ice hockey)
SCSU: Katie Williamson (women's basketball) and Alexandre Rajao da Cunha (men's soccer)
SNHU: Annemartine Christis (field hockey) and Preston Neal (men's soccer)
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