CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— A number of America East Conference track and field student-athletes collected received United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coach’s Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic team honors, it was announced this afternoon.
Among the 16 selected, 11 were named All-America East performers this past spring and six were gold medal winners at the America East Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
Three Albany Great Danes highlight the men’s selections, including junior Peter Rowell (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia-Glenville/Manhattan), who won the conference title in the 400-meter hurdles and was named America East All-Academic. He is joined by teammates and fellow all-conference honorees Paul Lagno (Salt Point, N.Y./Millbrook) and Nasim Siddeeq (New Hampton N.Y./Goshen Central/Robert Morris), who won conference gold in the triple jump.
University of New Hampshire’s Paul DeTurk (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) receives his third All-Academic honor this year. DeTurk was named to the America East All-Academic squad and the CoSIDA Academic All-District I team back in June.
University of Vermont senior Sam Hoadley (East Granby, Conn./East Granby) rounds out the men’s selections.
The 11 America East women’s selections were highlighted by five Stony Brook Seawolves including Lucy and Holly Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand/Wanganui Collegiate). The sisters were named America East All-Academic for the cross country and indoor track and field seasons, with Lucy receiving the honor for the outdoor season. Both reached All-American status this year and both were named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District I team back in June.
Fellow Seawolves Hayley Green (Wellington, New Zealand/Victoria University), who was a 2011 America East All-Academic honoree, Olivia Burne (Palmerston North, New Zealand/Palmerston North H.S.), and Page Price (Tampa, Fla./Berkley Prep/Miami) were also named to the team.
University of Maine senior Alexandra Krous (Yakima, Wash./Walla Walla CC) is joined by juniors Corey Conner (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional) and Jessica Bond (Namur, Quebec) on the team. Conner earned Second Team All-American status after an 11th place finish in the 5,000-meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was the recipient of the ‘M’ Club Dean Smith Award, given to the top student athlete at the University of Maine. Bond also found herself on the America East All-Academic squad this spring.
University of New Hampshire graduate student Rita Ciambra (Hanover, N.H./Hanover), America East pole vaulting champion and Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete, collects her third All-Academic team selection for the spring season.
America East javelin throw champion and NCAA Nationals participant Nika Ouellette (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) and Morgan Powers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill), both from the University of Vermont, wrap up the America East Conference honorees.