University of New Hampshire Athletics
Photo by: Alex Miller / UNH Athletics
Hooper Selected as 2025-26 AE Men's XC Fall Scholar-Athlete
2/5/2026 6:18:00 PM | Academics, Men's Cross Country
Senior boasted 4.00 GPA to become first Wildcat Men’s XC Winner Since 2002
BOSTON – UNH senior Zachary Hooper (Concord, N.H.) has been selected as the 2025–26 America East Fall Scholar-Athlete for men's cross country, the conference announced Wednesday.
Hooper, a neuroscience and behavior major, owns a perfect 4.00 grade-point average and was the Wildcats' top finisher in all five races in which he competed. His fall campaign included a fifth-place finish in the season-opening Suffolk Short Course Classic 5K (Aug. 30), a 14th-place team-best performance in the 8K at the Ted Owen Invitational (Sept. 20), and a 19th-place result at the New England Championships. He closed the season as the Wildcats' top runner again at the America East Championships, placing 20th overall.
The Concord, N.H., native is the first UNH men's cross country runner to win the America East Scholar-Athlete Award since Daniel Hocking repeated in 2001 and 2002. The only other men's XC Wildcat to receive this honor was Timothy Wright in 1999.
Hooper is a two-time America East XC All-Academic Team member (2024-25) and was a 2025 Chi Alpha Sigma inductee who has earned a spot on the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll or Academic Honor Roll every semester since Fall 2022. In addition to his conference honors, Hooper has appeared on the UNH Dean's List seven times.
America East Fall Scholar-Athletes are selected annually by the conference's Student-Athlete Engagement Committee and represent the top combination of academic and athletic performance across all fall championship sports. Sport Scholar-Athletes are automatically eligible for the America East Female or Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, which will be announced in July. Hooper joins Nicole Poulakis (Ajax, Ontario) of field hockey and Abbi Maier (Cincinnati, Ohio) of women's soccer as Wildcat AE Fall Scholar-Athletes.
About UNH Athletics
UNH Athletics is committed to providing an outstanding student-athlete experience and fostering NCAA Division I teams that are a source of pride for the University community, the State of New Hampshire, and UNH alumni across the globe. UNH Athletics creates and sustains a culture of Competitive Excellence, Leadership and Service, Engagement, Academic Success, and Respect, Integrity, and Inclusion. UNH Athletics is dedicated to supporting an environment in which student-athletes can thrive competing for conference and national championships, pursuing their academic, athletic, and personal goals, and becoming Wildcats for Life.
About America East
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
Hooper, a neuroscience and behavior major, owns a perfect 4.00 grade-point average and was the Wildcats' top finisher in all five races in which he competed. His fall campaign included a fifth-place finish in the season-opening Suffolk Short Course Classic 5K (Aug. 30), a 14th-place team-best performance in the 8K at the Ted Owen Invitational (Sept. 20), and a 19th-place result at the New England Championships. He closed the season as the Wildcats' top runner again at the America East Championships, placing 20th overall.
The Concord, N.H., native is the first UNH men's cross country runner to win the America East Scholar-Athlete Award since Daniel Hocking repeated in 2001 and 2002. The only other men's XC Wildcat to receive this honor was Timothy Wright in 1999.
Hooper is a two-time America East XC All-Academic Team member (2024-25) and was a 2025 Chi Alpha Sigma inductee who has earned a spot on the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll or Academic Honor Roll every semester since Fall 2022. In addition to his conference honors, Hooper has appeared on the UNH Dean's List seven times.
America East Fall Scholar-Athletes are selected annually by the conference's Student-Athlete Engagement Committee and represent the top combination of academic and athletic performance across all fall championship sports. Sport Scholar-Athletes are automatically eligible for the America East Female or Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, which will be announced in July. Hooper joins Nicole Poulakis (Ajax, Ontario) of field hockey and Abbi Maier (Cincinnati, Ohio) of women's soccer as Wildcat AE Fall Scholar-Athletes.
About UNH Athletics
UNH Athletics is committed to providing an outstanding student-athlete experience and fostering NCAA Division I teams that are a source of pride for the University community, the State of New Hampshire, and UNH alumni across the globe. UNH Athletics creates and sustains a culture of Competitive Excellence, Leadership and Service, Engagement, Academic Success, and Respect, Integrity, and Inclusion. UNH Athletics is dedicated to supporting an environment in which student-athletes can thrive competing for conference and national championships, pursuing their academic, athletic, and personal goals, and becoming Wildcats for Life.
About America East
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
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Players Mentioned
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