University of Massachusets Athletics
Nelson And Widdall Named Fall Scholar-Athletes
December 08, 2010 | Football
Dec. 8, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass Football senior wide receiver Anthony Nelson and Field Hockey junior goalkeeper Alesha Widdall were named the 2010 UMass Fall Scholar Athletes, as announced by the Athletic Department on Wednesday. Nelson was also named to the ESPN Academic All-American First Team in late November, while Widdall was named the Atlantic 10 Field Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year during the conference championships.
A first team All-Colonial Athletic Association wide receiver as a junior and senior, Nelson is UMass' first Academic All-American since linebacker Mark Kimener in 2003. The Wellington, Fla. native led the CAA with 61 catches for 830 yards and four touchdowns. An Economics major with a 3.88 grade point average, he helped Massachusetts post a 6-5 record and finished his career with 180 receptions for 2,212 yards.
Widdall, a two-time Atlantic 10 All-Academic team member, has accumulated a 3.592 GPA over her collegiate career in Anthropology while being one of the top goalies in the NCAA on the field. The Whitney Point, N.Y. native was also named to the A-10 All-Conference First Team for the third straight season after posting a 1.19 goals against average and .776 save percentage in 2010, leading the Minutewomen to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years.