CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ? Binghamton University’s Rory Quiller (West Point, N.Y.) (track & field) and Boston University’s Marisa Ryan (Farmington, Conn.) (cross country/track & field) have been named the 2006-07 America East Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively. Both Quiller and Ryan collected a pair of Scholar-Athlete awards during the 2006-07 season. Quiller was the scholar-athlete winner for indoor & outdoor track & field, while Ryan won in cross country and outdoor track & field.
Quiller, who earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, was also named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) Academic All-America second team. The senior pole vaulter holds a 3.66 grade-point average in psychology. By tying for fourth place in the pole vault at the NCAA Championship on June 8, Quiller became the first Binghamton Division I athlete to earn All-America honors twice in a career. Back in March, he finished second at the NCAA Indoor Championship with a jump of 18-0 1/2. All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships are awarded to the top eight individual finishers in each event. In addition to earning a pair of All-America honors, Quiller broke the NCAA East Region Outdoor record in the pole vault (18-1), was named the NCAA Northeast Region Field Athlete of the Year, the America East Conference Outdoor Track Most Outstanding Field Athlete and was named the Binghamton Athletic Department Male Athlete of the Year for the second time in three years.
The 2006-07 America East Woman of the Year and a repeat winner of the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, Ryan became the first student-athlete to be accepted into Boston University’s seven-year Liberal Arts/Medical Education program. She holds a 3.78 grade-point average and is on schedule to receive her M.D. in three. She had three top 5 finishes at the America East Cross Country Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007. She holds the conference indoor mark in the 3,000 meters (9:40.21), an event she won twice in her career. She also won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the 2007 America East Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Ryan is involved in nine different community service activities in Boston.
Other scholar-athletes included: Kirby Davis (Falmouth, Maine) (Maine men’s cross country), Arlette Westdorp (Assen, Netherlands) (Albany field hockey), Stephan Hall (Denver, Colo.) (Albany men’s soccer), Liz Cook (Halifax, Nova Scotia) (Hartford women’s soccer), Megan Hoag (Brunswick, Ohio) (Binghamton volleyball), Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J.) (Stony Brook women’s basketball), Martin Klimes (Prague, Czech Rep.) (Vermont men’s basketball), Jessica Ortman (Williamsville, N.Y.) (Albany women’s indoor track & field), Lidija Breznikar (Kotlje, Slovenia) (Boston U. women’s swimming & diving), Brian Koizim (White Plains, N.Y.) (Binghamton men’s swimming & diving), Brendon Hitchcock (Laceyville, Pa.) (Binghamton baseball), Christy Leath (St. Charles, Mo.) (Boston U. softball), Mike Ammann (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) (Albany men’s lacrosse), Kate Fontana (East Syracuse, N.Y.) (Albany women’s lacrosse), A.J. Oleksak (Feeding Hills, Mass.) (Hartford men’s golf), Juliana Carrillo (Cali, Colombia) (Hartford women’s golf), Nihal Advani (Mumbai, India) (Stony Brook men’s tennis) and Comelia Carapcea (Constanta, Romania) (UMBC women’s tennis).