CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ? Six student-athletes who demonstrated excellence both on the field and in the classroom during the Fall 2008 semester were named America East Scholar-Athletes by the conference office on Wednesday. The six Scholar-Athletes include Stony Brook University’s Alex Felce (Stroud, England/Archway Comp.) and Holly Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand/Wanganui Collegiate) in men’s and women’s cross country, University of Vermont’s Connor Tobin (Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins) and Boston University’s Marisha Schumacher-Hodge (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley) in men’s and women’s soccer, Vermont’s Kim Striegler (Whitney Point, Vt./Whitney Point) in field hockey and Stony Brook Gulce Nazli Dikecligil (Istanbul, Turkey/Saint Benoit French) in volleyball.
The Scholar-Athletes were members of teams in the six championship sports which America East offered in the fall season including men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey and volleyball. Member institutions of America East Conference for the 2008 fall season included University at Albany, Binghamton University, Boston University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and University of Vermont. Fairfield University was an associate member in the sport of field hockey.
A committee of athletic administrators and NCAA Faculty Athletics Representatives chose an honoree in each of the six fall championship sports. Each America East Scholar-Athlete was a starter or prominent reserve and carries a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.20. Each Fall Scholar-Athlete will join the 15 Winter/Spring Scholar-Athletes to make up the ballot for the America East Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which will be named in July.
Felce, a junior mechanical engineering major with a 3.47 GPA, led the Seawolves to a second-place finish at the 2008 America East Cross Country Championship with a runner-up individual performance. Felce, a repeat scholar-athlete selection, finished just two seconds behind teammate Tim Hodge to claim all-conference honors for the third straight season. The individual champion each of the past two years, Felce is a two-time men’s cross country All-Academic selection and was named to the America East Academic Honor Roll earlier this month.
Van Dalen, a sophomore arts & sciences major with a 3.42 GPA, finished second at the Cross Country Championship to earn all-conference honors and help the Seawolves claim the team title for the second straight season. Van Dalen, who placed 12th at the NCAA Northeast Regional meet, has been named to the Dean’s List each of her three semesters and was also named to the America East Women’s Cross Country All-Academic team and the league’s Commissioner’s Roll this year.
Schumacher-Hodge, a senior midfielder majoring in international relations major with a 3.53 GPA , was named the America East Midfielder of the Year after leading the Terriers to the a 15-6-1 record and first perfect regular-season in America East since 2000. A three-time first-team all-conference selection, Schumacher Hodge was tabbed the Most Outstanding Player of the Women’s Soccer Championship after leading Boston U. to its third league title in her four seasons. Schumacher-Hodge, a three-time America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll was also an All-Academic choice, a second-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District selection and an NSCAA Scholar All-American this season.
Tobin, a senior defender majoring in mechanical engineering with a 3.74 GPA, is the men’s soccer Scholar-Athlete for the second straight year. He was named the 2008 America East Defender of the Year and received first-team all-conference honors for the second straight season. An NSCAA All-Region performer, Tobin was named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and an NSCAA College Scholar All-American. Tobin was also named to the league’s Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the fourth time and was a All-Academic honoree for the third consecutive season.
Striegler, a senior back majoring in human development & family studies with a 3.69 GPA, was one of two field hockey student-athletes in America East to earn first-team all-conference honors and be named to the all-academic squad this past season. Striegler started all 74 games in her Catamount career and was named all-league in each of her four years. She was named to the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll earlier this month and was tabbed to the NFHCA Division I National Academic Team.
Dikecligil, a senior outside hitter majoring in biomedical engineering with a 3.42 GPA, received second-team all-conference honors after leading the nation in aces per game (0.66 apg) and led America East in kills per game (3.60 kpg). Dikecligil was named to the America East Volleyball All-Academic squad this past fall and was named to the America East Academic Honor Roll after being named to the league’s Commissioner’s Honor Roll each of the past two seasons.
America East is proud to have one of most comprehensive academic awards programs in the country. In addition to the Scholar-Athlete program, an All-Academic team comprised of student-athletes that excel both academically and athletically is chosen in each of the conference’s 21 sports by a committee consisting of faculty athletic representatives, academic advisors and sports information directors. Additionally, all student-athletes who earn at least a 3.00 GPA are honored on the conference’s Academic Honor Roll with students earning a minimum of a 3.50 GPA named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
For information on the America East Academic Awards Program, including past Scholar-Athletes, All-Academic squads and more, log on to the conference’s official website www.AmericaEast.com.