Four America East basketball standout student-athletes, two men's and two women's, were tabbed Capital One Academic All-District selections, the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) announced late last week.
University at Albany's Logan Aronhalt and University of Maine's Andrew Rogers were both selected to the men's team, while UMBC's Michelle Kurowski and University of New Hampshire's Denis Beliveau were chosen to the women's squad. Aronhalt, Rogers and Beliveau were District I selections while Kurowski was tabbed in District II. All four were first-team honorees and are eligible for Academic All-America recognition.
Aronhalt, a junior with a 3.78 cumulative grade point average in human biology, is a repeat selection and also earned America East All-Academic honors last season. He currently ranks fourth among conference leaders averaging 15.9 points per game and is second in free throw percentage (.889), which ranks 15th nationally. Aronhalt scored his 1,000th career point at Vermont on Jan. 19.
Rogers, a senior with a 3.86 GPA in kinesiology and physical education, is a two-time America East All-Academic selection, a three-time member of the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll, a three-time Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner and has been named to the NABC Honors Court. This year, Rogers has played in all 21 of Maine's contests and made 17 starts. He ranks fourth in America East averaging 3.9 assists per game and leads the conference with a +3.0 assist-turnover-ratio.
Beliveau, a fifth-year senior, graduated in 2010 with a degree in Exercise Science, holding a 3.51 GPA and is currently working toward a graduate degree in Leadership and Children’s Health and Disabilities. She was named a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalist last week. Beliveau is averaging 13.9 points, which ranks third among league leaders, and 8.5 rebounds, which is fifth.
Kurowski, a senior, graduated magna cum laude (3.82 GPA) from UMBC in three years last year and is currently pursuing a teaching certificate and a master’s degree in early childhood education. The 2011 America East women's basketball Scholar-Athlete, Kurowski all was tabbed a Lowe's finalist last week. A repeat CoSIDA selection, she has scored over 1,500 points and is the America East's leading active career scorer and currently ranks sixth in the league averaging 13.1 points per game.
To be nominated for the distinction, a student athlete must excel on the field as a starter or important reserve, and in the classroom by maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.30.