Spring Scholar-Athletes Feature Conference Champions, All-Americans - AmericaEast.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — This spring’s eight America East Scholar-Athletes include two All-Americans, six conference champions, three CoSIDA academic all-district selections and three conference player of the year award winners. Highlighting these award winners are repeat recipients Lucy Van Dalen in women’s outdoor track and field and Tyler Johnson in baseball, both of Stony Brook University. Also demonstrating excellence both in their sport and in the classroom are Stony Brook’s Kyle Moeller (men’s lacrosse), University of Vermont’s Samantha Stern (women’s lacrosse), Boston University’s Emily Roesch (softball) and Leonie-Charlotte Athanasiadis (women’s tennis), and Binghamton University’s Robb Quiller (men’s outdoor track and field) and Alexandre Haggai (men’s tennis).
Each America East Scholar-Athlete is a starter or prominent reserve, carries a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30, and a member of teams in the eight championship sports which America East sponsored in the spring season including men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, softball and baseball. Member institutions of the America East Conference for the 2012 spring season included University at Albany, Binghamton, Boston U., University of Hartford, University of Maine, UMBC, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook and Vermont. All eight selections are now eligible for the America East Male or Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year to be announced later this summer.
Van Dalen, hailing from Wanganui, New Zealand, was recently tabbed the 2012 America East Woman of the Year. She adds to her already impressive trophy case which includes the 2010-2011 Cross Country Scholar-Athlete and 2010-11 Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete hardware as well as an NCAA Indoor One Mile National Championship trophy and multiple cross country and track America East gold medals. Van Dalen also recently ran a personal best in the 1,500 meters to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London for her home country. The graduate student finished her master’s in liberal studies with a 4.00 GPA after receiving her undergraduate degree from Stony Brook in sociology with a 3.78 GPA.
Johnson, a back-to-back America East Baseball Scholar-Athlete, just completed an amazing run to the College World Series with his Seawolves’ baseball teammates after winning the 2012 America East Baseball Championship, NCAA Coral Gables Regional and Baton Rouge Super Regional. Johnson earned America East Pitcher of the Year, NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team and multiple All-American honors along the way while also winning three NCAA games on the mound. He finished the season with 12 wins, second in the country, and set the Stony Brook program record for career wins. Finishing his undergraduate degree in history with a 3.70, Johnson captured CoSIDA second-team Academic All-America honors.
A native of South Setauket, N.Y., Moeller helped Stony Brook win the America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship by starting all 17 games and totaling five ground balls and three caused turnovers in the conference semifinals. The senior defender earned first-team All-America East and All-Tournament Team accolades. Moeller is a business management graduate, finishing with a 3.88 GPA and a minor in technological systems managament. He is a two-time America East All-Academic Team and Commissioner’s Honor Roll honoree.
Stern, a senior from Cherry Hill, N.J., had a record-setting season on the lacrosse field while also finishing her business administration degree with a 3.59 GPA and her third-straight selection to the America East All-Academic Team. She graduated in May ranked 20th among 188 students in her major. Named second-team all-conference, Stern set the single-season school record for assists (41) and points (68). She also added 27 goals en route to surpassing 100-point and 100-goal career milestones.
Roesch, a native of Palm Beach, Fla., helped the Terriers win the 2012 America East Softball Championship and graduated Cum Laude from Boston U. in the same semester. She received her undergraduate degree in communications with a 3.48 GPA, earned the Boston U. Scholar-Athlete award and received Commissioner’s Honor Roll distinction for the third straight year. On the field Roesch, an All-Academic Team selection, was named the first-team all-conference second baseman, batting .281, driving in 28 runs and scoring 21 times.
Athanasiadis, a sophomore from Haltern am See, Germany, picked up first-team all-conference honors in doubles play and a second-team nod in singles for the 2012 season. Her and teammate Jessi Linero went 14-10 in doubles and were ranked as high as No. 67 during the season by the ITA. She also compiled a 12-12 mark in singles action which included victories over opponents from No. 41 Brown, No. 69 Harvard and No. 74 College of Charleston. Named to the women’s tennis all-academic team, Athanasiadis is studying psychology and owns a 3.36 cumulative GPA.
Quiller, who hails from West Point, N.Y., is a seven-time America East All-Conference performer in the pole vault, placing in the top two in all four of his America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship appearances. Earning his degree in economics with a 3.81 GPA this spring, he has been named to five America East All-Academic Teams. Quiller also garnered CoSIDA Academic All-District honors this spring and was a 2012 SUNY Chancellor’s Academic Scholar-Athlete Award winner.
Haggai helped continue the Binghamton men’s tennis streak of five conference championships, and won the 2012 America East Player of the Year and championship Most Outstanding Player awards. He captured his team’s MVP honor and became the program’s all-time doubles wins leader. Hailing from St. Denis, Reunion Island, Haggai finished his management degree with a marketing concentration and a 3.63 GPA. He is a member of the America East All-Academic Team as well as the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
A committee of athletic administrators and NCAA Faculty Athletics Representatives chooses a Scholar-Athlete in each of the league’s 20 championship sports. Of those 20 sport Scholar-Athletes, America East recognizes an annual Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.