Westwood, Mass. (July 26) -- MIT graduate students Laura Rosado (New Haven, Conn.) and Matthew Kearney (Austin, Texas) have been named as the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Year, as selected by a committee of NEWMAC athletic administrators. In addition, MIT senior fencer Kristen Palmer (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has also been announced as a candidate for the NCAA Woman of the Year award as Rosado will join her among the record 619 nominees for this year's award.
 
The recipients of the 2022-2023 NEWMAC awards will move on as the NEWMAC nominees for the Division III Commissioners Association Student-Athlete of the Year award and the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
 
Laura Rosado - Women's Swimming and Diving
Graduate Student - New Haven, Conn.
Undergraduate Degree: Mechanical Engineering (concentration in Control, Instrumentation, and Robotics) and Writing
Graduate Degree: Mechanical Engineering
4.0 GPA

• Three-time CSC Academic All-American (First Team 2022-23, Second Team 2020-21, 2021-22) and four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American
• 2022 Rhodes Scholarship Finalist and 12-time NCAA All-American
• Won the Thomas Sheridan Prize: Creativity in Man-Machine Integration (MIT MechE Student Awards 2022) and finished second in 2021 for the Isabel de Courtivron Writing Prize.
• Member of the TBP Community Service Committee where she organized a community service event knitting/crocheting blankets for donation
• MIT Baker House Executive Council President and oversaw dorm board activities and represented Baker House in the general student government
• MIT Swim and Dive Class Representative and 2021-22 team captain
• 2018-19 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year and 11-time NEWMAC Champion
• Ranks in the top-10 in program history in eight events (200 Free, 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 Fly, 400 IM, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay and the 400 Medley Relay).

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Matthew Kearney - Men's Cross Country and Track and Field
Graduate Student - Austin, Texas
Undergraduate Degree: Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Philosophy
Graduate Degree: Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
4.0 GPA

• 2022-23 CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Men's Cross Country/Track and Field
• Two-time CSC Academic All-American (First Team 2022-23, Second Team 2021-22
• 2023 Rhodes Scholarship recipient
• Helped lead his team to NCAA National Championships in cross country and outdoor track and field in 2022-23
• Four-time USTFCCCA All-American (Twice in Cross Country, once each in Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field)
• Six-time NEWMAC Academic All-Conference and six-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete
• 15-time USTFCCCA All-Region performer who is a three-time NCAA Qualifier in cross country and five times in indoor/outdoor track and field
• Shattered a 46-year old MIT school record in the outdoor 10,000 meters with a time of 29:13.69 at the 2023 Raleigh Relays

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Kristen Palmer - Women's Fencing (Saber)
Senior - Brooklyn, N.Y.
Undergraduate Major: Electrical Engineering & Computer Science; Minor: Chinese Language and Culture
3.72 GPA

• Three-time U.S. Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) All-America and four-time USFCA All-Region selection
• Northeast Fencing Conference (NFC) Fencer of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and two-time Saber All-Star
• Two-time NCAA National Collegiate Championship qualifier (qualified in 2020 and finished 16th in 2023)
• Three-time NFC Academic All-Conference Team and USFCA All-Academic Team honoree
• Two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and USFCA Scholar of Distinction qualifier
• Internships: Xerox; Google STEP; Google SWE; Subwifi; KIPP Washington Heights Middle School
• Research: MIT's Human Computer Interaction Engineering Lab
• Teaching: IAP 2023 Global Teaching Labs - South Africa & Botswana (Coding); The Caribbean Science Foundation (Programming); CovEducation (Student Tutor/Mentor for low-income middle and high school students in 2020)

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