PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Little East Conference (LEC) announced a trio of recent graduates - Eastern Connecticut State University’s Walter Scudder, Keene State College’s Octavio Brito and Rhode Island College’s Madison Medbury - as its annual Student Athletes of the Year recipients. As such, each will be nominated for the Division III Commissioner’s Association (D3CA) Student-Athlete of the Year Award. Medbury will additionally be the LEC’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.
The LEC Student Athlete of the Year Award is presented in recognition of a student-athlete’s athletic and academic prowess, leadership and community service. The student-athlete must have exhausted their collegiate eligibility in their primary sport. The LEC and D3CA honors are modeled after the NCAA Woman of the Year program, which dates back to 1991.
Walter Scudder - Eastern Connecticut State University - Men’s Soccer
Scudder was a four-year starting midfielder for the Warriors, helping lead them to three conference tournament appeared and the 2021 LEC regular season and tournament championships. He was named All-LEC three times in his career, earning First Team honors his junior and senior seasons, after garnering Second Team accolades as a sophomore.
As part of his personal statement, Scudder said “my experiences as a scholar athlete at ECSU have, most importantly, prepared me to serve. My time studying biology; tutoring underclassmen; researching cell migration; shadowing physicians, volunteering in a nursing home; speaking at schools and churches in India; working as landscaper, package handler, and coach; and captaining the men’s soccer team have shaped me into a leader ready for a career in medicine. As a scholar athlete, I’ve learned about empathy, advocacy, and service. I’ve also learned how lucky I’ve been to experience college sports. It’s taught me how to lead with integrity.”
A biology major, Scudder was an regular feature on the LEC’s All-Academic Team and Academic Honor Roll, and was inducted into the Eastern’s Beta Beta Beta, Omicron Delta Kappa and Chi Alpha Sigma honor societies. He additionally earned the biology department’s Academic Excellence Award in both years of eligibility, and was invited by professors to serve as a research and teaching assistant.
His community service involvement included recruiting drives for Be The Match’s national bone marrow donor registry, reading to elementary school students and serving as a campus peer mentor. In January of 2024, he was a medical shadow and guest speaker in India, stating “The experience changed my life. I traveled there with aspirations of shadowing physicians in a mission-driven hospital. I also visited schools, churches, and an orphanage. I saw the desperation of people in underserved areas. The experience gave me an appreciation for diversity that no other experience had yet provided. I also learned the value of empathy. The following spring, I was interviewed at ECSU about my experiences, and my message was that we student athletes are so lucky to have the experiences we do.”
Octavio Brito - Keene State College - Men’s Basketball
Brito concluded his playing career as the most decorated men’s basketball player in Little East Conference and Keene State College history, having been named the 2024-25 Division III Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) while being named to the All-America team his sophomore through senior seasons by both the NABC and D3hoops.com. He was also named the LEC Player of the Year and the Region 2 Player of the Year by D3hoops.com and the NABC as a senior in 2024-25, in addition to his numerous All-LEC and All-Region honors throughout his collegiate career.
Brito led the Owls to four consecutive LEC tournament championships and three LEC regular season titles during his four-year career. Keene State advanced to the NCAA Division III Regional Final in four consecutive seasons, and advanced to the Sweet 16 his sophomore and junior years.
As part of his personal statement, Brito said “My journey as a scholar, athlete, and leader has been shaped by a commitment to growth, resilience, and service. Each role has challenged me in different ways, but together they’ve empowered me to impact others with purpose and authenticity. Through each of my experiences, I’ve grown not just as a student and athlete, but as a person committed to making a difference. I’ve learned that impact isn’t always about grand gestures - it’s often about consistency, humility, and the willingness to lead with heart.”
The sports management major also excelled in the classroom, and was a mainstay on the LEC’s Academic Honor Roll in each of his four years at Keene State. Away from the classroom and competitive arena, Brito committed his time and energy to serving his fellow student-athletes both at Keene State and across the LEC, serving as a campus and conference SAAC rep, and being a member of Keene State’s Black Student Union and LEC Undivided.
“I’ve been fortunate to blend my academic studies with my passion for athletics. It reinforced my belief that leadership in sports extends beyond the scoreboard; it requires vision, empathy, and a sense of responsibility to those we serve. As a member of Keene’s Black Student Union, I’ve worked to create spaces where underrepresented voices are heard and valued. During a particularly tense period on campus, I helped lead a series of discussions that brought students, faculty, and administration together to address issues of racial equity. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary - and it showed me that real leadership often begins in moments of discomfort and courage.”
Madison Medbury - Rhode Island College - Women’s Basketball
Medbury is among the most decorated women’s basketball players in Rhode Island College history, culminating with a 2024-25 season that saw her named the LEC Player of the Year and LEC Defensive Player of the Year on her way to earning All-America honors from both D3hoops.com and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). She earned All-LEC honors her sophomore through senior seasons and garnered numerous All-Region honors, including being named the D3hoops.com Region 2 Player of the Year this past season.
The Anchorwomen saw unprecedented success with Medbury in the backcourt, winning three consecutive LEC tournament championships and four straight LEC regular season titles. RIC qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in each of her first three seasons, advancing to the Final Four in 2023 and the Sweet 16 in 2024.
As part of her personal statement, Medbury said, “Growing up in Rhode Island and continuing my college education here has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of my life. The community is extremely close-knit and supportive, which created the perfect environment for me to grow as a student, an athlete, and most importantly, a person. Being a college athlete challenged me, but it also helped me discover who I am and what my purpose is. I’ve learned that small moments of kindness can have a huge impact. Helping others become happier, more confident versions of themselves has become my purpose because I know how much it meant to have people believe in me when I needed it most.”
In the classroom, Medbury was a double-major in health science and psychology while minoring in behavioral neuroscience. She was a mainstay on the LEC All-Academic Team and LEC Academic Honor Roll, and was a three-time recipient of the Rhode Island Speaker of the House and House of Representatives Scholar-Athlete Award. Outside of her academic and athletic pursuits, Medbury was a peer mentor at RIC, worked as a camp counselor at a summer camp for children ages 7-13 with various social, emotional and behavioral disabilities, and was a volunteer ambulance EMT and fire fighter in Johnston, Rhode Island.
“Whether I was the teammate others trusted to talk about personal challenges, the captain demonstrating the standard of our culture and building confidence, or the peer mentor guiding new students, my goal was always to make those around me feel more comfortable and to walk away feeling understood. This intention carried through every role I took on as a student athlete. As an EMT, I made it a priority to talk to patients and help them feel more at ease. Working with youth with special needs taught me the importance of meeting people where they are and creating a supportive environment.”
About the Little East Conference
The Little East Conference (LEC) was formed in 1986 when six public institutions gathered to create a single sport athletic conference, and has expanded into what is now one of New England’s premier NCAA Division III multi-sport athletic conferences. The LEC now features 24 championship sports, sponsoring quality competition for our student-athletes while following the Division III mission of “passion, responsibility, sportsmanship and citizenship.”
The Little East’s nine primary institutions – Eastern Connecticut State University, Keene State College (N.H.), UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, Plymouth State University (N.H.), Rhode Island College, University of Southern Maine, Vermont State University Castleton, and Western Connecticut State University - encompass all six New England states, as do its affiliate members.