Winthrop, Mass. – Three members of the Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team earned All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) honors as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
For the Falcons, freshman forward Shontaey Lovell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was named the GNAC Rookie of the Year and received first team distinction, while sophomore forward Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) landed on the second team and senior wing Marc Wilson (Jersey City, N.J.) earned third team accolades.
The GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team was also announced on Monday afternoon and freshman forward Matt Hamilton (Hamden, Conn.) represented Albertus Magnus on the squad.
Lovell was named the GNAC Rookie of the Year after leading the conference in double-doubles (17), field goal percentage (67.3 %), rebounding (11.9 boards per contest) and blocks (1.7 per game). He also ranked fifth in the league in scoring, netting over 17 points per game. During the year, he grabbed 15 or more rebounds in a game eight times, including pulling down a season-high 18 versus Anna Maria in early February. He scored 20 or more points in GNAC play six times this season. Lovell leads the country in field goal percentage, ranks third in the nation in double-doubles and is fifth in rebounding. Shontaey is the son of Stacia Lovell and is majoring in criminal justice.
Walters ranked sixth in the league in scoring (15.9 points per game) and was second in the conference in rebounding (10.4 boards per contest) just behind Lovell. Along with Lovell and Pat Marchand of Lasell, Walters was one of three GNAC players to average a double-double in 2015-16. He converted just under 47 percent of his shots from the field and shot 34 percent from beyond the arc. Walters topped the 20-point plateau seven times this season, highlighted by pouring in a season-high 29 points in conference win versus Mount Ida on January 16. He pulled down 15 or more rebounds in a game four times, including a 19-rebound against Anna Maria on February 9.
Wilson started all 25 games he appeared in this year for the Falcons, averaging over 14 points and three rebounds a contest. The fourth-year wing knocked down over 47 percent of shots from the field and led the Falcons in steals with over one and a half thefts per tilt. He scored 20 or more points in a game seven times during the season, highlighted by netting a season-high 28 points on senior day versus Emmanuel. Marc is the son of Mark and Lori Wilson and is majoring in criminal justice.
During his first year on campus, Hamilton saw action in 19 games for the Falcons. He scored a season-high eight points in a 109-87 GNC Quarterfinal win against Mount Ida on February 23. He put the exclamation point on that post-season victory with a thunderous dunk late in regulation. Matt is majoring in business administration.
The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team finished the 2015-16 season with a 20-6 overall and earned the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Tournament thanks to a 14-4 mark in league. The Falcons saw their season come to an end with an 86-75 setback at No. 14 Johnson & Wales in the GNAC Championship over the weekend.
Founded in 1995, the GNAC is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
For the latest information on the men's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
