Chris Mulheron, Lacrosse – Mulheron has made arguably the biggest impact of any of the 10 rookies we’ve now nominated, stepping into a starting role immediately and leading the Bearcats in points by a large margin. He has 32 points on the year, nine more than classmate Jake Boyce. Earlier in the year, he had an eight-game scoring streak, and along with Boyce has added a new dimension to an offensive attack that was centered around Matt McNamara. His 16 assists rank him fourth in the America East, and show his dedication to make those around him better.

Chris Wade, Wrestling – We’ve got to give credit where credit is due: although everyone could predict that Binghamton’s revived wrestling program would struggle as head coach Tony Robie tries to get it back on its feet, Chris Wade has quietly had a stellar year. The 157-pounder out of Islip, Long Island lost some momentum by falling to an injury early in the season, but worked his way all the way back to finish fourth in his weight class in the CAA Championship. He also finished the year 18-10 and had a team-high six pins.

Brenno Varanda, Swimming – The men’s swimming and diving team might be the most underrated team in the school, thanks in large part to Varanda’s spectacular contributions this season. At the America East Championships, Brenno’s event-winning time of 3:59.35 in the 400 IM shattered a school record. He also won the 200 breast. Binghamton edged rival Stony Brook by just half a point, 677.5-677, for second place (behind juggernaut UMBC), but without Varanda’s two individual wins and solid contributions in two medleys, BU meddles well behind SBU in third place.

Jake Boyce, Lacrosse – While his classmate, Chris Mulheron, covers the “point,” Boyce has become the primary shooting option for BU. The elusive attack leads the Bearcats, who were ranked in the national top 20 earlier in the year as Boyce caught fire, in goals and shots on goal. His best performance of the year, a thrilling five-goal effort, came in an 8-7 loss against Colgate on April 11. Boyce ranks eighth in the conference in goals per game at 1.62 a contest, but he is the top goal-scoring freshman on that list.

Justin Halleck, Track and Field – Slated to succeed senior teammate Paddy Hennessey as one of the top shot-putters in the AE, Halleck’s competitive nature allowed him to step in immediately and push his mentor at every meet. One of the strongest athletes at BU, Halleck has made a point to not take a back seat, beating Hennessey in the weight throw in February. Similar to teammate Rory Quiller, a two-time America East Performer of the Year, Halleck speaks of world records when discussing his career goals at BU.