KINGSTON, R.I. - Former University of Rhode Island football player Mark Cruise and 10 current URI student-athletes were honored at the annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony at the Rhode Island Statehouse Monday afternoon.

Hosted by Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and the Rhode Island House of Representatives, the ceremony honored student-athletes from URI, the Community College of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College. URI President Marc Parlange and Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn were on hand to honor the Rhode Island contingent.

The URI student-athletes honored were Stephen Cirella (men's track & field), Julia Fortin (women's rowing), Eric Genther (baseball), Brandon Gillis (golf), Max Kwitchoff (men's soccer), Liz Lynchard (softball), Mariah Paulette (women's volleyball), Gabe Sloat (football), Trinity Smith (women's track & field) and Mayé Touré (women's basketball).

A member of the URI Athletics Hall of Fame, Cruise was recognized as Rhode Island's alumnus honoree. Named as one of Rhody's top 50 football players of all time in 2013, Cruise spent time with the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. Following his football career, he was the founder and partner of the Virtus Group, a Providence-based wealth management firm.

Cruise is an advisor and sponsor of the New England Patriots Alumni Club and Even Field. He has helped the New England Patriots Alumni Club run Football 4 You, a series of youth clinics throughout the region that teach children the proper fundamentals of football as well as the importance of health and nutrition. Even Field, which is based in East Greenwich, serves all of New England and is designed to cultivate integrity and ethical behavior in sports and life.

Cruised also has served on the URI Foundation Investment Committee, and he also spent six years on the Town of Narragansett Pension Board. He has dedicated his time to Unified Sports and Rhode Island Special Olympics, both passionate endeavors for him.

Rhode Island student-athlete profiles:

Stephen Cirella – Men's Track and Field

• A Jamestown, R.I. native, Cirella has completed master's degrees in Psychology and Kinesiology, and he is now working on his PhD in Health Sciences
• He was named the 2023 Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2023 Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Championship
• The 2021 A-10 Outdoor Decathlon Champion, Cirella also was the 2023 ICAAAA Indoor Champion in the Heptathlon
• He founded URI's Active Minds, a student group dedicated to opening the conversation about mental health

Julia Fortin – Rowing

• A Barrington, R.I. native, Fortin completed a double major in Public Relations and Communications and is currently a 4.0 student pursuing her master's degree in Communications
• A team captain, she has won three Atlantic 10 Championships in rowing and has participated in each of the last three NCAA Championships
• In 2019, she was part of the Varsity Four-Plus that placed 19th in the country, the highest national finish for any boat in program history
• Fortin is a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar Athlete

Eric Genther – Baseball

• A sophomore from Drexel Hill, Pa., Genther has a 4.0 grade-point average in Finance
• In just his second season, he already has more than 90 career hits, including 10 home runs. He also has more than 60 runs batted in
• Last season, he was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and twice was named the league's Rookie of the Week
• He played in every possible game over the last two seasons, making 83 starts already

Brandon Gillis – Golf

• A fifth-year senior out of Nashua, N.H., Gillis has a 3.25 grade point average in Communications
• A 2022 Golf Coaches Association of America All-American Scholar, Gillis is a five-time Atlantic 10 Men's Golfer of the Week
• In October, Gillis won the UConn Invitational at Greathorse, setting the course record with an 8-under par for the three-round tournament

Max Kwitchoff – Men's Soccer

• A sophomore from Tonawanda, Ne.Y., Kwitchoff has a 3.85 grade point average in Environment and Natural Resource Economics
• In the fall, he appeared in all 16 matches for the men's soccer team, making seven starts
• In his first two seasons, he already had played in 31 matches for the Rams
• His first career goal provided the game-winner against Fairfield, when he scored on a header in the 76th minute of a 1-0 victory

Liz Lynchard – Softball

• A native of Villa Ridge, Mo., Lynchard has a 3.76 grade-point average as a Biomedical Engineering major with a minor in Mathematics
• A two-time team captain, she has been the softball team's top pitcher for the last three seasons.
• A 2022 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference selection, she set a program record with 15 strikeouts against St. Bonaventure last season
• One of only three women in program history to strike out 100 batters in two different seasons, she ranks seventh all time with 257 strikeouts for her career

Mariah Paulette – Volleyball

• A native of Toledo, Ohio, Paulette graduated Summa Cum Laude with two bachelor's degrees and is now pursuing a master's degree in Business Administration
• A two-time team captain, she has been a Dean's List student throughout her five-year career
• She ranks 10th in program history with 239 career block assists
• Mariah also ranks 10th in program history with 113 matches played
• In the rally point era, she is fifth with 282 total career blocks

Gabe Sloat – Football

• A North Kingstown, R.I. native, Sloat has a 3.52 grade-point average in Sports Media and Communication, and he also is pursuing a second degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice
• After making the team as a walk-on, Sloat has become a significant contributor on offense and special teams, appearing in 21 games over the last two seasons
• He was the team's third-down back in 2022
• He had a career-long 65-yard touchdown run against Delaware last September

Trinity Smith – Women's Track & Field

• A Brooklyn, N.Y. native, Smith completed a degree in Kinesiology and is pursuing her master's degree in Physical Education and Health Studies.
• A four-time New England Champion, she won the 2023 Indoor 60-meter hurdles title.
• In 2021, she won three events at the New England Outdoor Championships, taking the crown in the 200 meters, 100 meter hurdles and the 4x100 relay
• This winter, she was part of Rhode Island's 4x400 relay team that won the Atlantic 10 title
• Smith is the founder and president of URI's Minority Student-Athlete Crew and was the Vice President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

Mayé Touré – Women's Basketball

• A junior from Athis-Mons, France, Touré has a 3.31 grade-point average and is majoring in Finance
• A First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection this year, she also was the named the league's Most Improved Player
• She led the Rams to the first regular-season Atlantic 10 title in program history and helped Rhode Island advance to the third round of the WNIT, marking the first postseason wins in program history