Historic Honors: Everidge and Walker Both Earn "Of the Year" Awards Marking First in Conference History
Jun 5, 2024
Courtesy of Franklin Pierce Atheltics, Director of Athletic Communications Luke Tracy
For the first time in conference and school history the Northeast-10 Man of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were named to not only a single school but a single athletic program. During the Northeast-10's year end awards ceremony on Tuesday evening, Graduate Assistant Connor Everidge (Baldwinville, MA) was named 2024 Man of the Year and senior Ryan Walker (Seabrook, NH) was named Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Connor Everidge: Northeast-10 Conference Man of the Year
For Everidge, the Man of the Year Award celebrated his hard work over the last five years not just for the Franklin Pierce University Track and Field team but for the Rindge community as a whole.
In the classroom, Everidge earned his bachelors in Elementary Education in 2023 and finished his undergraduate with a 3.91 GPA. In August, he'll receive his MBA in Leadership and he currently holds a spotless 4.0 GPA.
A member of the Franklin Pierce University Track and Field Team, Everidge was a two-time Northeast-10 Champion which included the weight throw in 2022 and the hammer throw in 2023. He collected a silver and a bronze medal in 2022 and 2024, both in the weight throw.
Outside of the arena, Everidge was honored as the NE10 Elite 24 Award winner at the 2022 NE10 Championships which recognized the athlete with the highest GPA at the competition site and then in 2023 he was named the NE10 Indoor Track and Field Sports Excellence recipient for his success in athletics and academics.
When he wasn't in the weight room, at practice or hitting the books, Everidge accumulated more than 130 hours of community service at events ranging from coaching youth track and field athletes to clean up operations on the Franklin Pierce University Rindge Campus. The four-time team captain stayed busy in other ways as well including two terms as the SAAC male co-chair, three years as a peer leader, two years at the helm of the Justice in Action club, and in 2023 was named a Franklin Pierce University Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Social Justice Recipient.
Ryan Walker: Northeast-10 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
A four-year member of the Cross Country/Track and Field team, Walker spent his time running, reading, and acing exams. Majoring in Health Sciences, one of Franklin Pierce University's toughest curriculums, Walker put together a perfect 4.0 GPA and graduated in May as the Class of 2024 Salutatorian.
Through his four years as a student, Walker received more than 20 academic awards including: 4x USTFCCCA National All-Academic Team, 2x COSIDA All-District, 2x Elite 24 Winner (2022,2024), and was named to the Dean's list seven times.
The three-time captain is a three-time Northeast-10 Champion and was named All-Conference a half dozen times in his three years of competing. Walker also hit National Standards three times which qualified him for two Cross Country National Qualifiers.
Significance
Digging into the Northeast-10 Conference record books, no institution has ever earned both the Man of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year awards in a single year; in 2024 Franklin Pierce University's Cross Country/ Track and Field program reeled in both.
"Connor and Ryan are commendable examples of our Raven student-athletes," said Franklin Pierce Director of Athletics Rachel Burleson. "We have been so lucky to watch them grow and compete in the crimson and grey over the last four/five years. Raven Nation is so proud of what they have achieved. Their futures are bright and I can't wait to see their journeys unfold."
Connor Everidge's recognition marked just the second time in school history that a Franklin Pierce University Student athlete received a Man/Woman of the Year award, with the last recipient being Franklin Pierce Women's Basketball player and FPU Hall of Famer Jo Leedham who received the honor in 2010. Leedham's name is cemented in the Division II Women's Basketball record books as the all-time leading scorer with 3,050 career points.
As for Ryan Walker, he marked the fourth Franklin Pierce University student-athlete to receive a Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the second for FPU Cross Country/ Track & Field following Riley Fenoff's (FPU Class of 2023) who earned the award a year prior.
"Both Ryan and Connor have been fantastic role models during their time as Ravens, for the Franklin Pierce community and beyond," said Head Coach Zach Emerson. "They were each multiple-time conference champions who always contributed to our team come meet day and they truly earned the respect of their peers with their intelligence, empathy and accountability. I only wish that we had the ability to clone them!"
For more information on the awards banquet and the full list of other award winners, click here.
