Four Honored as Bentley’s Top Senior Athletes
WALTHAM, Mass. – Four student-athletes from the Class of 2020, a quartet who have combined for ten All-Northeast-10 Conference awards during their standout careers, have been recognized as Bentley University's top senior athletes, Director of Athletics Bob DeFelice announced.
The Outstanding Female Senior Athlete award is lacrosse goalie Eliza Bresler (Newton/Newton North HS) while the Outstanding Male Senior Athlete award has co-winners, men's basketball forward Chris Hudson (Hodgdon, Maine/Williston Northampton School) and football defensive back Pete Thorbahn (Norwell/Xaverian Brothers HS).
The Edward J. Powers Award, which goes to the outstanding senior scholar-athlete, was presented via video to baseball standout Max Troiani (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon HS).
Bresler, who plans to return next year as a graduate student after having her 2020 season halted following three games, was named a first-team Division II All-America a year ago, becoming the first player in program history to receive that honor. She was also chosen as the Northeast-10 Goalie of the Week after a standout year in which she posted an 11.17 goals against average and was tied for the NCAA Division II leader in saves (217).
Bresler, a first-team All-NE10 pick last year and a second-teamer in 2018, owns a 22-14 career record and an 11.07 GAA as a Falcon. In three games this season, she limited opponents to 8.67 goals per game and totaled 23 saves.
Thorbahn was a constant in the Bentley defensive secondary the last four seasons, starting all 41 games the Falcons played during that span. He was also a fixture on the All-Northeast-10 team during that time, earning second-team honors his first two years and first-team accolades the last two. Career totals included 246 tackles, 15 interceptions (fifth most nationally among 2019 players), 32 pass breakups and three defensive touchdowns.
Following a senior year that included 58 tackles, two interceptions and a pick-six, the Falcon captain was voted to the D2CCA All-Super Region one second team and made a repeat appearance on the New England Football Writers Division II-III All-New England team.
Hudson became only the fourth NE10 men's basketball player in the last 20 years to be selected both first-team All-Conference and Defensive Player of the Year. The six-foot-five forward led the 17-12 Falcons in scoring (19.0), rebounds (7.4), field goal percentage (.566), blocks (43), steals (43) and minutes (36.3) and was among the conference leaders in most of those categories.
Hudson, who was the only East Region player with at least 40 steals and 40 blocks, concluded his career with 1,428 points, 21st in program history, and close to 700 rebounds, 20th all-time. In addition, he is fifth all-time in blocks (84).
The Powers Scholar-Athlete Award is named in honor of the late Edward J. Powers, a Bentley alumnus and trustee whose four-plus decades at the Boston Garden included time as the famed arena's President.
Troiani had an outstanding career in center field for Bentley, hitting .320 with 104 runs scored while also distinguishing himself in the classroom. The two-time Academic All-Northeast-10 and CoSIDA Academic All-District selection had a grade point average north of 3.7 as an economics-finance major.
Troiani excelled in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League last summer, earning All-League honors after finishing third in the predominantly Division I CCBL in hitting. That came following a standout junior season for Bentley in which he earned first-team All-Northeast-10 and second-team Division II All-East Region honors. In 14 games this spring before the season was curtailed, he hit .358 with 13 runs scored and ten RBI.