June 1, 2009
Ruben Sanca (Boston, MA), a senior on UMass Lowell’s men’s cross country and track and field teams, was named the Northeast-10 Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year Monday at the NE-10 Awards Banquet at Stonington Meadows.
The honor is the latest of many this season for Sanca, who was recently named the recipient of UMass Lowell’s David J. Boutin Award for Male Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year on May 12.
“This is quite an accomplishment for Ruben and caps what has been an extraordinary four years,” said UMass Lowell Athletic Director Dana Skinner. “Ruben has been an outstanding student and athlete, a leader on campus, and a role model in every way. We are proud to have him as a representative of UMass Lowell.”
Short of a national championship, there is very little that Sanca has not accomplished. The 2008-09 cross country and indoor track and field seasons saw Sanca emerge as one of the greatest distance runners in UMass Lowell’s storied history.
He spearheaded UMass Lowell to the NE-10 and NCAA East Region championships, winning both individual titles and earning the distinctions of NE-10, NCAA and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association East Region Athlete of the Year.
Perhaps more impressive, he helped lead UMass Lowell to the New England Cross Country Championship – which pits 47 Division I, II and III colleges against one another – for the second time in three years. Individually, he placed second to Tim Ritchie of Boston College – by only one second – in a field of 316 runners.
At the NCAA Championship, he placed 45th (37th among scoring runners) in a field of 152 and guided the River Hawks to 13th. “Training-wise all you have to do with Ruben is set out the plan. Then he takes over and does the rest,” said UML Head Coach Gary Gardner. “For Ruben, this is a well deserved honor.”
The indoor track and field season brought many highlights as he qualified for the NCAA Championship in three events – the 5,000 meters, distance medley relay and the mile – all producing results that ranked within the top five places in the country.
A late-season back injury, however, prevented him from competing at the NCAA Championship as well as the 2009 outdoor season. Along the way, Sanca was named the Athlete of the Year by both the NE-10 and USTFCCCA.
As impressive as Sanca’s athletic plaudits are, he is an equally exemplary student with a 3.33 in business administration. Since his sophomore year, he has earned places on the NE-10 and USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams both in the cross country and track and field seasons.
Despite competing year-round, Sanca has found time to give back to the University and his hometown of Roxbury communities.
He serves on UMass Lowell’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well as the University’s Residence Halls Council. He is also the treasurer of the Student Government Association, establishing and overseeing the budgets for all the University’s clubs and organizations.
Sanca has represented UMass Lowell on the NE-10 Student-Athlete-Advisory Committee and was selected to attend the NCAA National Leadership Conference in 2008.
A former soccer player/distance runner at John D. O’Bryant H.S., Sanca also serves as a volunteer assistant coach with the Greater Roxbury Track Club as well as the Djad’sal Soccer Foundation.
“Ruben is one of the most well rounded student-athletes I have ever had the pleasure to work with,” Gardner added. “I think every person that comes in contact with Ruben has a genuine like and respect for him.”
Sanca is the son of Nerino and the late Maria Sanca of Boston, MA.
