University of Massachusets Athletics
Duo Sweeps MAC Scholar-Athlete Of The Week Honors
April 16, 2026 | Baseball, General, Women's Lacrosse, Athletics Department, Academic Success
O’Brien of baseball and Morris of women’s lacrosse garner the weekly accolade for their stellar performances on the week.
AMHERST, Mass. – Gavin O'Brien of baseball and Kassidy Morris of women's lacrosse were named the Mid-American Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Week, as announced by the league on Thursday.
The Scholar-Athlete of the Week award is presented to a MAC male and/or female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during the week's competition. An institution can nominate up to one male and one female student-athlete per week in any of the current season's sports. The winners are selected by a representative of the MAC's Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs).
O'Brien, a mechanical engineering major, had an impressive performance on the 3-1 week for Massachusetts. O'Brien recorded a .421 batting average, a .476 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage on the week. He tallied eight hits, which included two doubles and three home runs, four runs and 11 RBI in 19 at-bats. At Boston College, the sophomore had one double and scored one run. In game two at Eastern Michigan, he posted three hits, with one double and one home run, totaled one run and had three RBI. The series finale at Eastern Michigan saw O'Brien go 4-for-6 on the day, marking a career- high in hits. The Salisbury, Connecticut, native registered a career-high two home runs, one of which was his first career grand slam. He also recorded a career-best eight RBI and added two runs, while totaling 10 bases on the afternoon.
In the field, O'Brien had seven putouts, no assists and no errors.
Morris, earning a MBA in management, came off another tremendous week, tallying 6-plus points again as she's done in eight straight games coinciding with UMass' eight-game winning streak. She also had eight straight hat tricks. Against Columbia, Morris recorded five goals and two assists in a 20-9 win, before posting four goals and two assists in a 14-4 victory over Eastern Michigan. All four goals came consecutively in the second half to turn an 8-4 lead into a 12-4 advantage, erasing any doubt. The redshirt senior is currently up to 81 points on the season (56 goals, 25 assists) as one of the nation's top offensive players. She also has 299 career points.
The Scholar-Athlete of the Week award is presented to a MAC male and/or female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during the week's competition. An institution can nominate up to one male and one female student-athlete per week in any of the current season's sports. The winners are selected by a representative of the MAC's Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs).
O'Brien, a mechanical engineering major, had an impressive performance on the 3-1 week for Massachusetts. O'Brien recorded a .421 batting average, a .476 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage on the week. He tallied eight hits, which included two doubles and three home runs, four runs and 11 RBI in 19 at-bats. At Boston College, the sophomore had one double and scored one run. In game two at Eastern Michigan, he posted three hits, with one double and one home run, totaled one run and had three RBI. The series finale at Eastern Michigan saw O'Brien go 4-for-6 on the day, marking a career- high in hits. The Salisbury, Connecticut, native registered a career-high two home runs, one of which was his first career grand slam. He also recorded a career-best eight RBI and added two runs, while totaling 10 bases on the afternoon.
In the field, O'Brien had seven putouts, no assists and no errors.
Morris, earning a MBA in management, came off another tremendous week, tallying 6-plus points again as she's done in eight straight games coinciding with UMass' eight-game winning streak. She also had eight straight hat tricks. Against Columbia, Morris recorded five goals and two assists in a 20-9 win, before posting four goals and two assists in a 14-4 victory over Eastern Michigan. All four goals came consecutively in the second half to turn an 8-4 lead into a 12-4 advantage, erasing any doubt. The redshirt senior is currently up to 81 points on the season (56 goals, 25 assists) as one of the nation's top offensive players. She also has 299 career points.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Lacrosse
OF/INF
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