Waterville, ME - Several members of the Northern Vermont University-Lyndon men's basketball team received North Atlantic Conference honors when the conference announced its end of season awards as voted on by NAC coaches today. Senior guard Antonio Carlisle (St. Johnsbury, VT) was named the Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year. Freshman guard Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dolgeville, NY) was named the NAC Rookie of the Year. Junior guard Peyton Olsen (Middleburgh, NY) was named to the All-Conference Third Team and junior forward Brett Roy (Newport, VT) was named to the Sportsmanship Team.
Carlisle is a four-year player and three-year captain of the Hornets. This past season Carlisle averaged 11.4 points per game. He shot 42.3% from the floor, 38.5% from behind the three-point arc, and 84.8% from the free throw line. Over his career, Carlisle has tallied 765 points over 75 games, an average of 10.2 points per game. He is a career 37.2% shooter from behind the three-point line and a 78.5% shooter from the free throw line.
In the classroom, Carlisle has maintained a 3.70 grade point average while studying exercise science with a strength and conditioning concentration. He is also minoring music business and industry. He has interned with the Division I athletic program at the University of Vermont as well as at several local gyms and fitness facilities, and he has also served as a student strength and conditioning coach within the exercise science department. Carlisle has also done one-on-one strength and basketball training. In the community, Carlisle has volunteered his time mentoring and teaching basketball to area youth, and he has volunteered at the Caledonia County Fair. Earlier this week he was named to the College Sports Communicators Division III Men's Basketball All-District Team. Following graduation in May, Carlisle plans to enroll in graduate school to pursue a master's degree in exercise science.
Carlisle is the second Lyndon men's basketball player to be named NAC Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, following Zach Falkenburg (Bridgeport, NY), who received the honor last season.
Gonyea enjoyed an outstanding freshman campaign. He was named NAC Rookie of the week three consecutive weeks during the season, the only rookie to earn that distinction multiple times. He averaged 15.9 points and 3.6 rebounds during conference play. He ranked #15 in scoring in conference play, the only rookie in the top 25. He also shot 53.8% from the floor and 75.9% from the free throw line in NAC games, ranking third and seventh respectively in those categories. Overall this season Gonyea averaged 12.8 points per game and scored in double figures 13 times in 24 games. He scored a season high 31 points in Lyndon's win at Maine Maritime Academy and topped the 20-point mark three other times.
Gonyea is the third Lyndon men's basketball player to be named NAC Rookie of the Year, joining Phil Warrick (Springfield, MA), who earned the distinction in 2011, and Kevin Love (Bristol, CT), who was selected in 2016.
Olsen came on strong after missing much of the pre-conference season with injury. He averaged 19.8 points per game in conference play, ranking fifth. He also ranked 12th in assists in conference play, handing out 3.1 per contest. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds per game and shot 44.0% from the floor in conference play. Olsen averaged 16.3 points per game overall, the seventh best mark in the conference. He has scored 834 points in his Lyndon career, and 986 points overall as a college player, leaving him within striking distance of 1,000 points both overall and as a Hornet with one season of eligibility remaining.
Roy was a high energy player who provided the Hornets with many intangibles. He played in 19 games this season, starting five times and playing 215 total minutes. He scored 29 points, grabbed 28 rebounds, and handed out five assists this year. Selection to the NAC Sportsmanship Team is reserved for student athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees are individuals who have positively affected the basketball culture and game environment and whose behavior clearly demonstrates sportsmanship and integrity that goes beyond the playing rules and etiquette.
A complete rundown of all NAC men's basketball award winners can be found HERE.
The Hornets' season concluded last weekend with a loss to top seed University of Maine at Farmington in the NAC quarterfinals. It marked the second consecutive quarterfinal appearance for the program. Carlisle is expected to graduate this spring. Gonyea, Olsen, and Roy are expected to be among a large group of returnees that will be the foundation of next year's Hornet team.
