Information from the University at Albany, University of Maine, UMBC and University of Vermont sports information departments were used in this story.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Five student-athletes were named to an All-Region ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA All-Academic Team, as announced by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Thursday afternoon. All Regional First Team selections will be considered for National All-Academic recognition.
Leading the way were three First Team honorees: University of Maine field hockey player Maire Dineen, UMBC women's tennis player Cornelia Carapcea and University of Vermont women's lacrosse standout Kristen Millar. Two other student-athletes were also named to an All-Region Second Team, including University at Albany women's lacrosse player Nikki Branchini for District I and UMBC women's lacrosse player Kara Dorr for District II.
Dineen, a sophomore with a 3.93 grade point average in
international affairs and economics, started 16 of 17 games for the
Black Bears last season. She scored three goals and added five assists
for 11 points. The native of Toronto, Ontario was named to the America East First Team and All-Championship Team, as well as to
the Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Northeast Region Second Team. Dineen had the highest grade point average on the America East
All-Academic Team this season. She has been named to the National Field
Hockey Coaches' Association Division I National Academic squad. Dineen
is also a two-time Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner and has been
named to the America East Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll twice.
Carapcea’s
(Constanta, Romania) accomplishments on the tennis courts include 97 career match victories,
All-Conference honors in 2007-08 and a perfect 8-0 record in America
East Championship competition. Off the court, she earned Third Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All America honors last spring and has maintained a 4.00 grade-point average in
a double major in information systems/financial economics and maintains
a 4.00 grade-point average. She has been inducted into the National
Collegiate Honor Society and was UMBC’s salutatorian at graduation this spring.
Millar (Whitby, Ontario), a four-time MVP for the women's lacrosse team, earns her second
straight ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I honor. Millar posted a
3.62 grade point average and graduated on May 17 with a degree in
elementary education and minors in French and nutrition and food
science. Millar leaves UVM as arguably the best player in school history. She is
the all-time leader at Vermont in goals, assists, points, ground balls,
caused turnovers and draw controls.Millar is a three-time America East All-Conference honoree and was named
to the America East Women's Lacrosse All-Academic Team the last two
seasons. She led UVM to back-to-back appearances in the America East
Women's Lacrosse Championship for the second time in school history.
Branchini, a sophomore from Guilderland, N.Y., has a 3.83 cumulative grade point average in history with a minor in education. She was voted to the All-America East Conference first team for the second straight year. Branchini,
the 2009 America East Fans’ Choice player of the year, is seventh among
the NCAA Division I leaders in draw controls at 3.82 per game. She led the Great Danes in ground balls (42) and caused turnovers (18), plus has scored four goals. In addition, Branchini was picked to the America East All-Academic squad.
Dorr, who owned a 3.72 GPA in political science, led the Retrievers with 40 goals, 50 points and 34 draw controls ?
all career highs. The native of Bel Air, Md. also ranked second on the team with 19 caused
turnovers and fourth with 10 assists and 26 ground balls. The two-time
team co-captain ranks fifth in the America East in goals per game (2.5)
and eighth in points per game (3.12), and she scored at least two
points in 10 straight games to end the season. A 2006 All-Rookie Team
selection, Dorr finished her career with 100 goals, 123 points, 99
ground balls and 124 draw controls.
To be eligible for the All-Academic Teams, all nominees had to carry a cumulative GPA of 3.30 and be a starter or significant reserve for their team. They must have completed one full year at his or her institution. Freshmen are not eligible. The At-Large teams cover various sports that do not have their own All-Academic Team throughout the academic year, including field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming & diving, and men's and women's tennis.