BANGOR, Maine — Husson University director of athletics Frank Pergolizzi is proud to announce Joel Bond '22 as the 2021-22 Del Merrill Athlete of the Year. He will be honored at the 2022 Husson University Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Dec. 2 at the Anah Shrine in Bangor.

"Both Bailey and Joel are truly champions in their own right," said director of athletics Frank Pergolizzi. "They definitely deserved to be selected as student athletes of the year."

Joel Bond not only competed in three varsity sports at Husson from 2018-22, he excelled at all of them. Bond ran cross country in the fall before running track for the winter and spring seasons as a member of the indoor and outdoor track & field programs.

On the cross country course, Bond competed in 25 races, winning three of them, while posting eight top-five finishes during his time at Husson. However, his best season came during his senior season when he recorded four top-five finishes, including wins at both the Husson Harrier Invitational and the Terrier Invitational. At the North Atlantic Conference Championship, held at Thomas College, Bond earned All-NAC First Team honors for the third time in his career becoming the first Eagle in program history to achieve this milestone after placing fourth with a 27:48 performance in the 8K race. His 27:48 time is the fastest in school history in a NAC Championship meet, while his fourth-place finish was the highest ever by an Eagle runner.

Bond's historical season continued the following week in Boston when he helped Husson jump 23 spots higher than the previous regional championship meet to 16th in the team standings with his 26th-place finish. He not only set a new school record for the fastest time at an NCAA Regional Championship, but also achieved the highest ranking a Husson male has ever placed at a regional championship meet. Bond clocked in at 26:38.0 averaging 5:21.5 per mile to earn the program's first ever U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honor. By the virtue of his 26th place finish in the regional championship, Bond received an at-large selection into the 2021 NCAA Division III National Championship, becoming the first runner in program history to accomplish that feat. 

At the National Championship, Bond ran the fastest 8k in school history, breaking his own record by 50 seconds with a 25:49, an average mile of 5:12. At the halfway mark, Bond was running in 270th and in the second half of the race he gained 31 spots to finish 239th out of 295 runners.

Off the course, Bond earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors in 2021 and was selected to the NAC All-Academic team four times. 

As a sophomore, Bond earned the Husson Athletics Men's Cross Country Eagle Award.

During his indoor career, Bond earned two individual titles with 22 top-10 finishes in 15 meets.

Over the course of his outdoor track career, Bond continued to excel, and helped the Eagles win the 2018 NAC Championship. He competed in 16 career outdoor meets, posting 16 top-five finishes including winning the 5000-meters five times. Bond also qualified for New England's as a senior for the first-time in his career in the 10,000 meters setting a career-best mark with a fourth-place time of 31:40.86.

Off the track, Bond was named to the NAC Winter/Spring All-Academic team twice.
 
Bond earned his bachelor of science in audio engineering in the spring of 2022.

A native of Houlton, Maine, Bond attended Hodgdon High School.