Freshman Gillian Fortier (Naugatuck, Conn.) of the Albertus Magnus softball team has been named the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year as well as Rookie of the Year. 

Fortier, a First Team All-Conference selection for the GNAC this season, is just the second Albertus softball player ever to receive Player of the Year honors and is the first-ever Falcon to earn GNAC Rookie of the Year honors in softball.

Fortier, who batted .500 during the regular season for the Falcons, is currently batting .492 and leads the GNAC in that category. The rookie leads the Falcons this season in just about every offensive category.  She has registered59 hits, 30 RBI, 11 doubles, four home runs, three triples and 36 runs scored. 

She has also posted a slugging percentage of .733 and an on-base percentage of .526.  She has walked nine times and has collected six stolen bases in 36 games played.

Fortier is the 24^th all-time Falcon to earn Player of the Year honors (in all sports).  Diana Burroughs (1994-97) is the only other softball player in Albertus history to earn GNAC Player of the Year honors. In fact, Burroughs in the only player in league history to earn Player of the Year honors in two different sports during the same academic year as she earned basketball Player of the Year for the 1996-97 season and then softball Player of the Year for the 1997 spring season.

Fortier leads the GNAC in hits and batting average.

The freshman is in the top-10 all-time for the Falcons in single-season statistical categories:
At-bats: 8^th – 120
Batting Average: 1^st - .492
Runs Scored: 2^nd – 36
Hits: 1^st – 59
Doubles: 2^nd – 11
Home Runs: Tied-4^th – 4
RBI: 8^th – 30