{"id":24715,"date":"2025-07-29T10:55:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T14:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&p=24715"},"modified":"2025-09-29T22:02:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T02:02:17","slug":"kekoa-mcardle-stands-tall-as-newmac-student-athlete-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/29\/kekoa-mcardle-stands-tall-as-newmac-student-athlete-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Kekoa McArdle stands tall as NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

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Standing at a rugged 6’8″ with a signature headband to keep his wavy black hair in check, Kekoa McArdle \u201925 has never been shy about making his presence known on the basketball court. The center\/forward, a bruising rebounder with a passel of get-out-of-my-way power moves inside the paint, scored over 1,000 career points and helped lead Clark to the New England Women\u2019s and Men\u2019s Athletic Conference championship in his senior year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This spring, NEWMAC selected McArdle as one of four athletes to be named Student-Athlete of the Year. He was the only basketball player from the conference\u2019s 12 schools chosen for the award, which is based on academic achievement, athletic excellence, and service and leadership.

\u201cKekoa truly set the standard of what it meant to be a student-athlete, first and foremost in the classroom,\u201d said men\u2019s basketball head coach Tyler Simms. \u201cOn the court, he led and mentored our younger forwards, which will continue to help our program for years to come.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kekoa<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trish Cronin, director of athletics and recreation, agreed. \u201cKekoa exemplifies everything we strive for at Clark\u2014excellence in the classroom, leadership in the community, and dedication on the court. His relentless work ethic and humility have made a lasting impact on our department, and this recognition by the NEWMAC is a testament to the kind of student-athlete and person he is.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McArdle, a Pittsfield, Massachusetts, native with a degree in psychology<\/a> and a minor in management,<\/a> transferred to Clark after playing at the University of Rochester in his freshman year. He was essential to the team\u2019s year-to-year improvement over the past three seasons, culminating in a dominant 80\u201365 victory over WPI to take the NEWMAC title and earn Clark men\u2019s basketball its first NCAA tournament berth since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe amount of support we had was amazing,\u201d McArdle recalls. \u201cIt was so much fun to see the crowd respond during the games.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He describes his teammates as a \u201csecond family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019d walk to classes together, hang out together,\u201d he says. \u201cEven in practices when things could get a little gritty and we\u2019d go at it on the court, all that would get dropped when practice was over. At the end of the day, we were all friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n