Four Yellow Jackets Earn Northeast 10 Conference Academic All-Conference Award

Four members of spring sports teams at American International College earned Academic All-Conference recognition, the Northeast 10 Conference announced on Monday, June 30.

Ayoub El Fahim of men's track & field and Brendan Edvardsen of baseball were joined by Destiny McGrath of softball and Gabrielle Walz of women's lacrosse as honorees.

To qualify, student-athletes must have started in at least half or played in at least two-thirds of the team's competitions as a significant contributor, and achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale; for graduate students, both undergraduate and graduate GPA totals must be above 3.30.

El Fahim's honor is the 12th for the men's track & field program among 10 winners in AIC history, and the first since Jason Beaver in 2022. It comes on the heels of another All-Region season, earning his fifth career total All-Region honor as part of AIC's 4x100-meter relay unit. The Woodhaven, New York, native is a healthcare management major.

Edvardsen is the eighth AIC baseball player to win the award, and his honor is the 12th in program history, giving AIC at least one winner for the third straight season. He earned his second career NE10 All-Conference honor in the outfield for AIC in the spring, helping lead AIC to its first NE10 Regular Season Championship since 1991. The Norwalk, Connecticut, native is a business major.

McGrath collected the award for the second year in a row, becoming the second two-time winner in program history; Stephanie Belanger won the award three times, in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Overall, McGrath is one of nine AIC softball players to earn the honor, with 12 total accolades, and a Yellow Jacket has taken the honor in each of the last five years. McGrath collected her 100th career hit as part of a First-Team All-Conference season, leading AIC in most major offensive categories. The Norton, Massachusetts native is a physical therapy major.

Walz's selection is the eighth for women's lacrosse at AIC; she is the seventh AIC women's lacrosse player to win the award and first since Chelsea Davis and Krista Iwanicki in 2021. The team's leading scorer was also a Third-Team All-Conference selection for the first time in her career. The Granby, Massachusetts, native is a physical therapy major.