CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— The America East Conference office recognized 21 student-athletes for their selection to the 2011 Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic teams on Wednesday afternoon. The two teams, which include 11 men and 10 women, represent the best of America East both athletically and academically.
Among the 21 student-athletes to make the squads, 20 were all-conference performers in the spring and seven were gold medalists at the 2011 America East Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
Each of the 11 men selected to the all-academic squad was an all-league performer at the conference championship. Three of those men, University at Albany junior Peter Rowell (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia-Glenville/Manhattan), Boston University junior R.J. Page (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) and University of Vermont junior Chris Lemieux (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Memorial), won individual titles. Rowell won the 400-meter hurdles, Page took the top spot in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash and Lemieux won the decathlon.
Rowell, along with UMBC senior Michael Christmas (Invercargill, New Zealand/James Hargest College) and graduate student Dominic Devaud (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley), University of New Hampshire graduate student Paul DeTurk (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) and Binghamton University graduate student Chris Gaube (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) and junior Robb Quiller (West Point, N.Y./James I. O’Neill), repeats as a selection to the outdoor all-academic team. Rowell, Christmas, Quiller and University of Hartford junior Andrew Chalmers (Ashland, N.H./Plymouth Regional) were members of the 2011 America East Indoor Track and Field All-Academic squad.
Binghamton seniors Casey Quaglia (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) and Adam Quinn (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) complete the men’s selections.
Four individual champions highlight the women’s squad, including Boston U. sophomore Allison Barwise (Orange, Conn./Amity Regional) and junior Katie Matthews (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill), New Hampshire graduate student Rita Ciambra (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) and Stony Brook University junior Lucy Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand/Wanganui Collegiate). Barwise won both the heptathlon and high jump at the conference outdoor meet. Matthews finished first in the 5,000 meters, while Ciambra won the pole vault and Van Dalen took first in the 1,500 meters.
Ciambra and Van Dalen are repeat selections to the outdoor track and field all-academic team. New Hampshire senior Kaitlyn Dugan (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn Senior) also makes return appearance on the outdoor squad. Barwise, Matthews and Van Dalen, along with Hartford sophomore Priscilla Appiagyei (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) and UMBC senior Sara Parkinson (Chorley, England/Loughborough University) were indoor track and field all-academic selections in 2011.
University of Maine junior Jessica Bond (Namur, Quebec/Cegep St. Jerome), New Hampshire senior Kaitlin Kwiecien (Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) and Stony Brook junior Hayley Green (Wellington, New Zealand/Victoria University) round out the women’s selections.
The All-Academic squads are a product of the June 2005 Athletics Director meetings, where faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference’s nine member institutions decided to honor the league’s top student-athletes, whom excel equally in the classroom as they do on the playing field.
For the third straight year, America East will select the All-Academic teams using CoSIDA’s Academic All-America program as a model. Student-athletes worthy of consideration are nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by a committee of SIDs, academic advisors and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.
All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time or are made up of 10 student-athletes for individual sports, but can be more if there is a tie in voting. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team’s games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Team
Name Cl. School Hometown/High School GPA Major
Andrew Chalmers Jr. Hartford Ashland, N.H./Plymouth Regional 3.62 Economics
Michael Christmas (1) Sr. UMBC Invercargill, New Zealand/James Hargest College 3.78 Biochemistry
Paul DeTurk (1) Gr. New Hampshire Durham, N.H./Oyster River 3.67 Political Science
Dominic Devaud (2) Gr. UMBC Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley 3.66 Mechanical Engineering
Chris Gaube (3) Gr. Binghamton Vestal, N.Y./Vestal 3.50 MBA
Chris Lemieux Jr. Vermont Manchester, N.H./Manchester Memorial 3.74 Physical Education
R.J. Page Jr. Boston U. Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional 3.35 Economics
Casey Quaglia Sr. Binghamton Bangor, Maine/Bangor 3.46 Business
Robb Quiller (1) Jr. Binghamton West Point, N.Y./James I. O’Neil 3.75 Psychology
Adam Quinn Sr. Binghamton Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa 3.75 Biology
Peter Rowell (1) Jr. Albany Scotia, N.Y./Scotia-Glenville/Manhattan 3.63 Accounting
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Team
Name Cl. School Hometown/Previous School GPA Major
Priscilla Appiagyei So. Hartford South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor 3.92 Music Education/Instruction
Allison Barwise So. Boston U. Orange, Conn./Amity Regional 3.49 Undeclared
Jessica Bond Jr. Maine Namur, Quebec/Cegep St. Jerome 3.82 Animal & Veterinary Science
Rita Ciambra (4) Gr. New Hampshire Hanover, N.H./Hanover 4.00 Secondary Education
Kaitlyn Dugan (1) Sr. New Hampshire Hatfield, Pa./North Penn Senior 3.98 Chemistry
Hayley Green Jr. Stony Brook Wellington, New Zealand/Victoria University 3.92 Psychology
Kaitlin Kwiecien Sr. New Hampshire Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton Academy 3.94 Civil Engineering
Katie Matthews Jr. Boston U. Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill 3.61 Speech, Hearing, Language Sciences
Sara Parkinson Sr. UMBC Chorley, England/Loughborough University 3.79 Geography and Sport Science
Lucy Van Dalen (5) Jr. Stony Brook Wanganui, New Zealand/Wanganui Collegiate 3.67 Sociology
(1) - Outdoor All-Academic Selection, 2010
(2) - Outdoor All-Academic Selection, 2008
(3) - Outdoor All-Academic Selection, 2009
(4) - Outdoor All-Academic Selection, 2008 and 2010
(5) - Outdoor All-Academic Selection, 2009 and 2010