March 1, 2010

Center Valley, Pa. - Lehigh senior Marquis Hall was voted the 2009-10 Patriot League Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second straight season, it was announced on Monday during the Men's Basketball Tournament media teleconference. The scholar-athlete of the year award is voted on by the Patriot League's men's basketball sports information directors.

Hall carries a cumulative 3.39 grade point average as a Finance major, and is one of 10 national finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award, which combines achievement in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition. Hall is a multi-year member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Lehigh's Dean's List, and is an active member of Lehigh's C.O.A.C.H program (community outreach). Hall is also a multi-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Student-Athlete Council, and participates in Lehigh's leadership training academy.

Hall has a long list of on-court accomplishments in his four seasons at Lehigh, including a Second-Team All-League selection on Monday. It was his third All-League honor after receiving First-Team status last year and Second-Team honors in 2007-08, making him one of only 14 players that have earned three All-League honors in his career. He also won the Rookie of the Year award in 2007. Hall stands second in Patriot League history and first in Lehigh annals with 544 assists, and is the only player in League history with 1,400 points and 500 assists in his career. He is also in the top 20 in career steals. Hall went out with a strong senior season, averaging 11.3 points per game and leading the League with 5.7 assists per contest and a 2.6 assist/turnover ratio.

Hall earns the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for the second straight season, becoming the fourth student-athlete to achieve that feat. He is Lehigh's only winner of the award.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen are not eligible for this honor.

The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor.