May 25, 2007

Center Valley, Pa. - Ten Patriot League Student-Athletes were named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America All-District At-Large Teams, including five on the First-Team and five on the Second-Team. Representing the Patriot League were four student-athletes from Bucknell, three from Navy and one each from American, Army and Lehigh.

Bucknell honorees included junior Kelly Hoffman (field hockey), senior Katherine Munson (women's swimming and diving), senior Paul Stansik (men's lacrosse) and senior Charlie Waddle (golf), who all earned Second-Team status. Hoffman, a Second-Team All-Patriot League selection, boasts a 3.95 GPA as a psychology major. A four-time All-Patriot League member, Munson graduates Bucknell with a degree in education and English with a 3.86 GPA. Stansik was a member of the Bucknell defense that was fourth in the nation in goals allowed per game and completed his degree in management, while carrying a 3.55 GPA. Waddle, a political science and religion major with a 3.34 GPA, is the only two-time individual golf champion in Patriot League history (2005 and 2006).

Representing Navy as First-Team selections were junior Chris Renninger (golf), senior Madeline Boe (rowing) and sophomore Kelly Zahalka (women's swimming and diving). Renninger, a First-Team All-Patriot League performer in 2007, is first in his class with a 4.00 GPA in chemistry. The 2006 Patriot League Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Boe, has accrued a 3.78 GPA as a honors oceanography major and was a member of the runner-up varsity eight boat at this year's Patriot League Championship. Zahalka was named both the 2007 Patriot League Swimmer of the Meet and the 2007 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's swimming and diving. Zahalka boasts a 4.00 GPA as a history major.

Graduate student Heidi Hershberger represented American on the First-Team, after being named the 2006 Patriot League Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year. After finishing up her undergraduate degree early, Hershberger posted a 4.00 GPA as a graduate student majoring in International Affairs. She was named Second-Team All-Patriot League and First-Team NFHCA All-Region in 2006.

For Army, junior golfer Patrick Beverly was a First-Team All-Region selection with a 3.92 GPA. The economics major garnered Second-Team All-Patriot League recognition after finishing ninth at the Patriot League Championship and is the reigning Patriot League Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Lehigh two-sport student-athlete Christine Smith earned Second-Team All-Region status, after competing for the Mountains Hawks in field hockey and women's lacrosse. The junior industrial engineering major owns a 3.87 GPA. Smith was named First-Team All-Patriot League in the sport of field hockey this year and Second-Team All-Patriot League after the conclusion of the 2007 women's lacrosse season.

The Patriot League's 10 at-large selections give the League a total of 46 Academic All-Region honorees this year. Four of the 46 have already gone on to earn Academic All-America status including women's soccer student-athletes Shannon Curd of Bucknell and Navy's Lizzie Barnes and Kari Weniger and football student-athlete David Frisbey of Bucknell.

To be eligible for the Academic All-District At-Large teams, an athlete must be have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00.