June 30, 2009

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- The Navy swimming and diving programs combined to place 24 of its student-athletes onto the 2009 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for the sport, the league office recently announced. A total of 207 swimmers and divers from throughout the league earned the accolade.

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must have both earned a varsity letter during the 2008-09 season and attained a minimum 3.20 grade-point average for the 2009 spring term.

Each of the eight league member schools have different criteria for awarding letters.

Headlining all recipients was Kelly Zahalka, a recent Navy graduate from Richmond, Va., who was tabbed as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's swimming for a third consecutive season. The first three-time Academic All-American in both Navy and Patriot League history, Zahalka posted a 3.94 GPA during the recently completed semester and graduated third in Navy's Class of 2009 with a four-year GPA of 3.99. The honors history major was selected as a First-Team Academic All-American as both a junior and senior.

Pacing the recipients for the Navy men's team was Nathan Durham. Also a 2009 graduate of Navy, the Greensboro, N.C., native attained a 3.80 GPA this past term on his way to graduating with a degree in ocean engineering. Additionally, Durham became the first Navy men's swimmer or diver to earn Academic All-America honors in 11 years when he was selected as a Third-Team Academic All-American this spring.

A total of 10 swimmers or divers in the league posted a 4.00 GPA during the spring semester. Accomplishing this feat from the Navy teams were rising senior Alex Buck (Lisle, Ill.) and rising junior Matthew Harmon (Cumberland, Md.). Buck is majoring in aerospace engineering, while Harmon is working towards a degree in naval architecture.

Additional members of Navy's Class of 2009 to be named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll were Clare McKenna (Garden City, N.J.), Carmen Meier (Wyoming, Ohio), Jennie Spencer (Smithburg, W.Va.), Kyle Abner (Glenwood, N.J.), Joe Unruh (Orinda, Calif.) and Billy Vey (Huntersville, N.C.).

2009 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for Swimming & Diving
Navy Women's Team
Allison Aichele...Jr. ...3.67...Honors Applied Math...Middletown, Md. / Middletown
Tara Chapmon...Jr. ...3.80...Oceanography...Virginia Beach, Va. / Cox
Sarah Duffy...So. ...3.71...Chemistry...Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon
Mary-Elyse Janowski...Fr. ...3.39...Ocean Engineering...New Hyde Park, N.Y. / Kellenberg Memorial
Sylvia Knap...So. ...3.50...Economics...Chicago, Ill. / Fenwick
Clare McKenna...Sr. ...3.39...History...Garden City, N.J. / Garden City
Carmen Meier...Sr. ...3.25 ...English...Wyoming, Ohio / Wheaton Warrenville South
Kalea Middendorf...Jr. ...3.29...Mathematics...Aurora, Ill / Rosary
Kelly Reightler...Fr. ...3.67...Economics...Stafford, Va. / North Stafford
Jennie Spencer...Sr. ...3.25...Information Technology...Smithburg, W.Va. / Doddridge County
Heather Waldorf ...Jr. ...3.22...International Relations...Virginia Beach, Va. / Peddie School
Alli Warwick...So. ...3.56...International Relations...Lansdale, Va. / North Penn
Kelly Zahalka...Sr. ...3.94...Honors History...Richmond, Va. / Walker Governor's School
Navy Men's Team
Kyle Abner...Sr. ...3.40...Economics...Glenwood, N.J. / Vernon Township
Alex Buck...Jr. ...4.00...Aerospace Engineering...Lisle, Ill. / Naperville North
Adam Calloway...So. ...3.30...English...Fredericksburg, Va. / James Monroe
Nathan Durham...Sr. ...3.80...Ocean Engineering...Greensboro, N.C. / Grimsley
Matthew Harmon...So. ...4.00...Naval Architecture...Cumberland, Md. / home schooled
James Lascara...Jr. ...3.86...Ocean Engineering...Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Catholic
Mark Meyer...Fr. ...3.50...Systems Engineering...Bethesda, Md. / Walt Whitman
Ryan Stumpf...So. ...3.41...Ocean Engineering...Palm Harbor, Fla. / Tampa Prep
Joe Unruh...Sr. ...3.93...English...Orinda, Calif. / Miramonte
Patrick Veltman...So. ...3.20...Systems Engineering...Midlothian, Va. / Midlothian
Billy Vey...Sr. ...3.47...Mechanical Engineering...Huntersville, N.C. / North Mecklenburg