WALTHAM, Mass. – Recent Bentley graduates Caitlin Burmester '25 and Sam Capobianco '25 both received the Northeast-10 Sport Excellence Award, the NE10 announced Wednesday. Burmester earned the honor for the 2025 outdoor women's track & field season, and Capobianco is the recipient for the outdoor men's track & field season.

NE10 Release

The NE10 Sport Excellence Award recognizes both athletic and academic achievements. Per the NE10: To be eligible for Academic All-Conference and Sport Excellence honors, a student-athlete must have started at least half or played in two-thirds of all contests while making significant contributions and maintaining a 3.3 grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.

Burmester is a rare three-time recipient of the NE10 Sport Excellence Award in a single academic year. She previously earned the distinction for both women's cross country and women's indoor track & field during the 2024-25 academic year.
During NE10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Burmester won gold medals in the 800-m and 1500-m. She was named a USTFCCCA All-Region runner in those two events.

Burmester earned two NE10 gold medals during the indoor season, capturing additional All-Region honors. During the 2024 cross country season, Burmester led Bentley to its first-ever NE10 title, and won the individual NCAA East Regional title.

Back in early June, the NE10 announced that Burmester is the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Capobianco became a two-time recipient of the Sports Excellence Award this year (men's indoor track & field). During NE10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Capobianco won gold medals in the 5,000-m and 4x800 relay. He also took silver in the 1,500-m.

Capobianco was a USTFCCCA All-Region honoree in four events during the indoor track & field season. Overall in his Bentley career, Capobianco is a five-time selection to NE10 Academic All-Conference teams.