Inside Athletics | 6/17/2026 5:52:00 PM

Bridgewater, NJ — In its 20th year, the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which is sponsored by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives, goes to the male and female student-athletes who have exhausted athletic eligibility, graduated and compiled the highest GPA in the conference at the conclusion of the academic year.

Two Saint Francis student-athletes not only made the list, they did so with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

Congratulations to Anna Quackenbush (cross country/track and field) and Jeff Hoenstine (football) as they finish their careers with impressive resumes.

In three cross country seasons at Saint Francis, Quackenbush raced her way to three top 12 finishes at the NEC Championships and a trio of All-NEC plaudits. Two years after she was pegged the NEC Rookie of the Year following a seventh-place finish at the 2023 NEC Championship, the best ranking by a freshman women's harrier since 2003, the Mount Airy, MD native was the fourth runner to cross the line at the conference's postseason race in 2025 after she covered the 6k course at B & D Acres in Tyrone, PA in 22:37.5. On the track this past year, the distance runner finished fifth in the indoor 3,000m, fourth in the indoor 5,000m, fourth in the outdoor 5,000m and second in the outdoor 10,000m races. In the classroom, Quackenbush achieved perfection as a Health Science Physicians Assistant major. 

Hoenstine, a quarterback, did not skip a beat in the classroom as he maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA throughout his entire academic career as a Criminal Justice major. Making five appearances for Saint Francis on the gridiron this past season, the Keystone State product threw for a pair of touchdowns against Duquesne and Wagner. 

Read more on this year's NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winners.