Track And Field Boasts Six All-Academic Team Selections
AMERICA EAST RELEASE I ALL-ACADEMIC LIST
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The University at Albany track and field program led the league with six athletes named to the 2013 America East outdoor track & field all-academic teams, announced by the conference office Thursday. John DeLallo, Aliaksandr Leuchanka, Andrew Pirnie, Jake Rachiele, Kathryn Fanning, and Jillian Haynes were recognized for their excellence both in the classroom and in competition.
Helping the UAlbany men to their ninth straight America East Outdoor Track and Field title, DeLallo led the 4x800m team to an America East Championship win (7:32.52), while also placing fifth in the 1500m run with an IC4A qualifying time of 3:48.79. In addition, DeLallo ran a conference-best 4x800m time (7:30.45) at Penn Relays and won the 800m at the Upstate Track and Field Classic (1:52.36). The sophomore from Marietta, N.Y. boasts a 3.81 as a physics major. He was also an indoor all-academic team selection this past winter.
Leuchanka, a native of Clifton Park, N.Y., placed second in a close America East 10,000m run with a mark of 31:42.82 – just two tenths of a second off the leader – and placed sixth in the 5,000m run. The senior ran the fourth-best 5,000m time in the America East at the Larry Ellis Invitational (14:42.75), and won the 1,500m title at the Capital District Classic with a 4:01.78 mark. Leuchanka ran a personal-best 4:01.02 mark in the 1,500m at the Upstate Track and Field Classic, and placed second in the 5,000m run at the UConn Dogfight (14:51.59). A biology major, Leuchanka owns a cumulative 3.62 GPA.
Pirnie, a sophomore from Hilton, N.Y., was a top-five finisher in every event he competed in this season, placing second in the 800m run at the America East Championship, qualifying for IC4As with a personal-best time of 1:51.56. He was a member of the 4x800m team that ran a conference-best 7:30.45 at the Penn Relays, and he also placed third in the 800m at the Larry Ellis Invitational (1:52.58). Pirnie is an accounting major with a 3.51 GPA.
Rachiele, a senior from Farmingdale, N.Y., led UAlbany's 4x100m relay team to a second place finish at the America East Championship (41.00). He also won the 200m dash (22.51) at the Capital District Classic and placed second at the UConn Dogfight in the 4x100m relay (42.11). Rachiele was also an all-academic team selection for the indoor season, boasting a 3.65 GPA as a physics major.
On the women's side, Fanning helped UAlbany to their fifth straight America East Outdoor Track and Field title, piloting UAlbany's 4x800m relay team which overcame the rest of the field by nearly eight seconds, running a 9:00.89 title-winning and ECAC-qualifying mark. Fanning shattered UAlbany's 1,500m record (4:22.83) at the UConn Invite, breaking a school-best mark that stood since 2006 and qualified for the NCAA East Regional with the blistering run. The Fayetteville, N.Y. native was also a member of the 4x800m relay team that set a new school record, running an 8:48.83 in the Championship of America Race at Penn Relays. Fanning, a junior, has earned a 3.99 cumulative GPA in the classroom as a biology major and was also named to the indoor all-academic team this year.
Haynes, a junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., placed second in the 100m dash (11.93) and third in the 200m dash (24.30) at the America East Championship, while also leading UAlbany's 4x100m relay squad to a conference victory (46.34). Haynes set a school record in the 4x200m relay at Penn Relays (1:38.88), placed third in the 100m (12.18) at the UConn Invite and was fifth out of 22 at the UCF Invitational with a personal-best mark of 11.91. She also competed in four events at the ECAC Championships, placing eighth in the 100m (12.08). Haynes is a biology major with a 3.79 cumulative GPA.
The All-Academic squads are a product of the June 2005 Athletics Director meetings, where faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference's nine member institutions decided to honor the league's top student-athletes, whom excel equally in the classroom as they do on the playing field.
For the fifth straight year, America East will select the All-Academic teams using CoSIDA's Academic All-America program as a model. Student-athletes worthy of consideration are nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by a committee of SIDs, academic advisors and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.
All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time or are made up of 10 student-athletes for individual sports, but can be more if there is a tie in voting. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team's games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.
