Former St. John’s Catholic Prep basketball player Darin “Dee” Mency has been named Freshman of the Year in the Northeast 10 – one of the nation’s premier conferences for Division II men's basketball - after a brilliant rookie campaign at Merrimack College.

Mency, a native of Hagerstown, started his collegiate career firing on all cylinders, as he earned Freshman of the Week honors seven times. He currently ranks fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per game and is the only freshman ranked in the top 30 in the conference in scoring. In addition, Mency is ranked 20th in rebounds per game (5.7) and is ranked among the national leaders in scoring. He was also selected to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team.  Dee posted three double-doubles and scored over 10 points in all but three games this season for Merrimack.

Mency's efforts helped the Warriors earn their first invitation to the NCAA Division II Tournament since the 1999-2000 season. The team will play top-ranked Bentley College in Waltham, Ma., on Saturday.
     
Prior to accepting a full athletic scholarship to Merrimack College, Mency earned All-MIAA honors at St. John's.  The 6-2 shooting guard averaged 21.2 points, 2.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, during the 2006-2007 season.  He also was named Frederick News Post First Team, Honorable Mention All Met (Washington Post), and All Gazette First Team.  In addition, he earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the prestigious Benedictine Capital City Classic in Richmond, Virginia – considered one of the nation’s best high school basketball tournaments.