Nov. 4, 2010
Center Valley, Pa. - The CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District teams for men and women's soccer, football and volleyball were released this week, and 18 Patriot League student-athletes had the distinction of receiving praise for their success both on the field and in the classroom.
Six Patriot League student-athletes were honored in football and men's soccer, with five in women's soccer and one in volleyball. Eleven of the 18 honorees receivied first-team Academic All-District honors, and those student-athletes will now be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
Patriot League student-athletes were honored in either District 1, which includes the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York, or District 2, which covers Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The football honorees include Bucknell senior linebacker Travis Nissley, who won last year's Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and was recently named as one of 16 finalists for the Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Nissley carries a 3.96 grade-point average as a Mechanical Engineering major and leads the Bison with 44 tackles this season. He is joined on the District 2 squad by junior teammate Tim Bolte, who holds a 3.89 GPA as a Political Science/East Asian studies major and has 38 tackles on the season from his linebacker position. Lafayette junior defensive back Brandon Ellis also made the team with a 3.34 GPA as an Economics/Business major and has 49 tackles for the season.
District 1 football honorees included Fordham senior defensive back Jamal Haruna and sophomore punter/kicker Patrick Murray as well as Holy Cross senior offensive lineman Mike McCabe. Haruna has 64 tackles on the field and holds a 3.37 GPA as a Business Administration major, while Murray has a 40.7 punting average with 12-for-19 field goal attempts converted and maintains a 3.56 GPA as a Business Administration major. McCabe remains a key cog to Holy Cross' offensive success, and holds a 3.70 GPA as a Classics major. He is the only repeat selection among the football honorees.
Each of the football student-athletes was a first-team recipient, so all six will now be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America honors.
The women's soccer recipients included a pair of first-team selections, with Lehigh senior forward Liz Carlos and Bucknell senior forward Christa Matlack each earning the designation in District 2. Carlos earned first-team All-Patriot League honors with 14 points for the season, and keeps a 3.61 GPA as an Accounting & Supply Chain Management major. Matlack won her second consecutive Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year award by recording seven goals and 17 points during the season, and has a 3.57 GPA as a Biology major. They each had a teammate earn second-team All-District honors, with Lehigh senior forward Glynn Fitzer earning second-team All-Patriot League recognition and holding a 3.48 GPA as a Psychology major and Bucknell senior defender Amanda Citron helping the Bison share the regular-season title while carrying a 3.64 GPA as a Computer Science/Economics major.
Holy Cross junior defenders Micaela Collins and Kelsey Dillon each earned second-team honors in District 1. Each player led the Crusader defense on the field, while Collins has a 3.75 GPA as an Economics & Accounting major and Dillon carries a 3.67 GPA as a Mathematics major in the classroom.
Carlos, Matlack, Citron and Dillon were named to the inaugural Women's Soccer Academic All-Patriot League Team on Wednesday.
A pair of United States Naval Academy men's soccer student-athletes were named to the first team in District 2, with senior defender Alex Foskett and junior midfielder Sam Miller each earning that distinction. On the field, Miller has two goals and Foskett has notched a pair of assists for the resurgent Mids. In the classroom, Miller holds a 3.93 GPA as a Mechanical Engineering major, while Foskett has a 3.73 mark as an Electrical Engineering major.
Bucknell had a pair of student-athletes on the second team in District 2, with junior goalkeeper Tommy Caso and senior defender Travis Rand each taking the honor. Caso has 36 saves and a 1.86 goals against average while recording a 3.80 GPA as a Mechanical Engineering major. Rand has three assists on the season and holds a 3.59 GPA as a Political Science major.
Holy Cross junior defender Vincent Garofalo made the second team in District 1. He has started 16 games for the Crusaders and carries a 3.40 GPA as an Economics major.
Miller and Caso were each selected for the second year in a row.
Bucknell senior Rachel Rodriguez was the lone volleyball student-athlete selected from the Patriot League, as she made the first team in District 2. Rodriguez leads the Bison with 383 assists and 25 service aces, and is just as successful in the classroom with a 3.98 GPA while majoring in Accounting.
To be eligible for the ballot, student-athletes must have a 3.30 cumulative GPA, must have completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility and must have competed in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position listed on the nomination form.
The CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District selections are the second piece of good news for Patriot League student-athletes this week, as two men and three women were on the candidate list for Lowe's Basketball Senior CLASS Awards on Wednesday.
CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District Honorees
Football
District 1
Mike McCabe, Holy Cross (first team)
Patrick Murray, Fordham (first team)
Jamal Haruna, Fordham (first team)
District 2
Brandon Ellis, Lafayette (first team)
Tim Bolte, Bucknell (first team)
Travis Nissley, Bucknell
Women's Soccer
District 1
Micaela Collins, Holy Cross (second team)
Kelsey Dillon, Holy Cross (second team)
District 2
Liz Carlos, Lehigh (first team)
Christa Matlack, Bucknell (first team)
Amanda Citron, Bucknell (second team)
Glynn Fitzer, Lehigh (second team)
Men's Soccer
District 1
Vincent Garofalo, Holy Cross (second team)
District 2
Alex Foskett, Navy (first team)
Sam Miller, Navy (first team)
Tommy Caso, Bucknell (second team)
Travis Rand, Bucknell (second team)
Volleyball
District 2
Rachel Rodriguez, Bucknell (first team)