LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell cross country/track and field seniors Kerstin Darsney (Rowley, Mass.) and Rachel Eatherton (Tewksbury, Mass.) have been named co-winners of the University Scholar-Athlete Award.

Darsney and Eatherton earned the distinction by having the highest cumulative grade point average of all graduating student-athletes. Both finish their four year collegiate careers with a 3.93 GPA.  Eatherton, majoring in Exercise Physiology, closed out the spring semester with a 3.90 GPA and Darsney, a History and Psychology double major, with a 3.75.  

"Those who are the highest achieving in the classroom tend to be the hardest working on the track," said UMass Lowell Track and Field Head Coach Gary Gardner.  "Kerstin's extremely focused, has raw skills, is powerful and fast and hates losing and that carries over to all parts of her life.  Rachel is highly motivated and drives herself.  She's a grinder who's worked hard and has grown and improved throughout her career."

Both have been Dean's List regulars and have been named the America East All-Academic Team several times during their collegiate careers.  

"Kerstin sets an example in the way that she competes, in the way that she practices and in the way she approaches her studies," according to Gardner.  "She is a leader who will call out teammates if they are not focused on the job at hand.  That mentality carries over to her teammates and you see how hard everybody works on the track and in the classroom.  I just stay out of the way."

In competition, Darsney has been terrific.  She is the only UMass Lowell woman to qualify for the NCAA East Regional Championships at the Division I level.  She scored in three different events at both the 2018 America East Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships, long jump, high jump and triple jump.  Darsney is the UMass Lowell record holder in the triple jump and in the high jump outdoors.

Darsney's season and collegiate career is not over yet.  She will compete in the triple jump next weekend at the NCAA East Regional.  A top twelve finish would earn Darsney an invitation to the National Championships in Eugene, Oregon in June.

Eatherton is enrolled in the Doctorate Physical Therapy/Exercise Physiology program.  She was a Co-op scholar, has done research in the Technology-based Rehabilitation Lab and participated in directed study with Dr. Cantu's Concussion Center.  Eatherton won the top prize for Outstanding Writing in the Field of Disabilities.  She has been selected for membership in the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society.  She has volunteered at the Lowell Association for the Blind, St. Paul's Soup Kitchen and with various other groups.

"Rachel is a leader by example," said Gardner.  "She has a good sense of humor and know when to break the tension and lighten the mood."

In competition, Eatherton has been a key part of the depth that has been developed in the track and field program.  She was part of the women's cross country team that earned a second place finish at the America East Championships in the fall.  The second place finish was the best-ever showing for the program at a Division I level.

This is the second consecutive year in which the Scholar-Athlete Award winner has been a member of the women's cross country/track and field program.  In 2017 the honor went to distance runner Jaclyn Solimine.