Five Competitors Named To At-Large Academic All-District Teams
MADISON, N.J. - Five Landmark student-athletes have earned distinction for their work on the field and with the classroom with selection to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-District At-Large Team.
The University of Scranton senior men's tennis player Carl Caceres and Christian Dugan of the men's lacrosse team were first and second-team selections respectively for the men's team. On the women's side The Catholic University of America placed two players on the second team with Lisa Brooks and Mary Swarthout earning selections, and Juniata College field hockey player Caitlyn Bowman also earning second-team honors.
In order to qualify for this prestigious program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.3-or-higher. District II is comprised of student-athletes from the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The at-large team is made up of student-athletes who compete in fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
Caceres work in the classroom and on the tennis court has been exemplary. He holds a 3.92 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale while pursuing degrees in theology and religious studies and philosophy. He is a member of four academic honor societies and is a member of the university’s highly regarded Special Jesuit Liberal Arts program. On the tennis court, he finished his career with a 57-21 record in singles (.731) and 46-28 mark in doubles (621) in leading the Royals of head coach Keith Hetsko to an overall record of 44-24 (.647), including four Landmark Conference tournament berths and two championship match appearances. He was named the conference’s rookie of the year in 2008 and has earned all-conference honors in each of the last four years.
Dugan also left his mark in both the classroom and on the lacrosse field. A three-time member of the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll, he holds a 3.84 cumulative grade point average in accounting. He is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honors Society and the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society, and was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Business Club. He was also elected to attend the Scholar’s Institute by the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. As a four-year letterman in lacrosse, Dugan appeared in 65 games and finished with 35 goals and 11 assists for 46 total points. He was a member of the 2008 squad that won a school-record 12 games and three Landmark Conference tournament-qualifying teams, including this past season when the Royals won the Landmark title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program’s 25-year history under first-year head coach Jim Rogalski.
Brooks, who recently graduated from CUA, had a remarkable career in and out of the pool for the Cardinals. She is the only female swimmer in the history of the Landmark Conference to win the same event twice – and she did it in two different events. An eight-time conference champion, Brooks holds the school record in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 400 medley relay, the Landmark Conference record in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the conference meet record in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. She was the first female swimmer in Landmark Conference annals to qualify for the NCAA championships and the first female swimmer at CUA to accomplish the feat since the mid 1990's. Out of the pool Brooks carried a 3.82 grade point average as a biology major. She was a multi-year member of the Dean's List and Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll as well as a Scholar All-American. Brooks was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, she was awarded with the Senior Academic Excellence Award and was a member of the Biology and German Clubs. She was also recently honored with CUA's Senior Athlete Award.
A member of the Cardinals field hockey and lacrosse teams, Swarthout has excelled at both sports during her time in the red and black. This past fall she earned first team All-Landmark Conference and second team All-South Atlantic Region Team honors in field hockey, while helping lead the Cardinals to their most wins in program history and first-ever ECAC championship. Swarthout finished the season with 17 goals and 43 points, leading the team in goals, assists, points and game-winning goals. Swarthout then moved to lacrosse where she was recognized as the 2011 Landmark Conference Player of the Year as well as a first team All-Region and All-Conference selection. A native of Rockville, Md., Swarthout led CUA in goals (65), points (92), ground balls (52) and draw controls (57), while ranking second in caused turnovers (25) and third in assists (27). She also led the conference in points and game-winning goals (4). Swarthout was named the conference's Player of the Week on three occasions and scored at least three goals in 13 different games in helping lead CUA to its fourth consecutive Landmark Conference crown and NCAA Tournament appearance. Swarthout has been equally impressive off the field, carrying a 3.74 grade point average as a nursing major. She is a multi-year member of the Dean's List and Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll as well as the SGI/NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad, which recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or higher. Swarthout is also a member of CUA's SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) program and earlier this year she received the Mary J. O'Dwyer Flynn Memorial Award, which is the highest honor at CUA presented to a junior female.
Bowman tallied three goals and three assists for nine points this season, finishing sixth on the team in total points. She notched her goals against Frostburg State, Washington & Jefferson, and the University of Scranton. For her career, Bowman has nine goals and six assists for 24 total points. A two-time Landmark Academic Honor Roll student, Bowman is a six-time Dean's List student at Juniata and was named to the Fall 2010 Landmark All-Academic Team. She was a recipient of a Hollings Scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)--one of only 100 nationally--and plays viola in the Juniata Orchestra.
All first-team Academic All-District selections will now go on the national ballot for Academic All-America recognition.
Story provided by Catholic, Juniata & Scranton Sports Information
