University of Massachusets Athletics
Starosielec, Duffield Earn Academic All-Conference Honors
March 23, 2010 | Women's Swimming & Diving
March 23, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - Junior Jessica Starosielec (Colonia, N.J.) of the UMass women's swim team and junior Adam Duffield (Brookfield, Conn.) of the UMass men's diving team were named to the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team as voted on by the A-10 sports information directors on Tuesday. To be eligible, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater in their entire academic careers to go along with outstanding performance in the pool.
Starosielec was outstanding in her junior season, and finished the year off strong, as she took sixth in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.68) and 15th in the 200 IM (2:10.24) at the Atlantic 10 Championships in Buffalo, N.Y. During that same meet, the Colonia, N.J. native recorded the third-fastest time in school history (2:22.16) in the prelims of the 200 breaststroke, and the seventh fastest time in school history in the 200 IM (2:09.44). Starosielec was also a main contributor to the medley relay teams throughout the season, helping the 200 medley relay team to an eighth-place finish and the 400 medley relay team to fourth at the A-10 Championships. The junior has also been excellent in the classroom, boasting an overall GPA of 3.489, helping her to be named to the Academic All-Conference team for the first time in her career.
This is the second-straight year Adam Duffield has been named to the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team, as the junior holds an overall GPA of 3.642. Duffield had his best season on the diving board, translating into his first trip to the NCAA Zone "A" meet where he competed in both the one and three-meter diving competitions. The Brookfield, Conn. Native finished second in the three-meter dive at the Atlantic 10 Championships with a season best score of 300.90, while also taking fifth in the one-meter.
Joining Starosielec on the women's swimming and diving Academic All-Conference team were Nicole LePere and Katie Sieben of Richmond; Martha Cutter-Wilson and Kari Peglar of Xavier; La Salle's Emily Heath; Anna Larson of Saint Louis; George Washington's Paola Leor; and Tara VanNatta of Duquesne. Shannon Duval of La Salle was named the Atlantic-10 Student-Athlete of the Year on the women's side.
Alongside Duffield on the men's side were Justin and Ryan Coombs of Fordham; La Salle's Brandon Hargraves and Justin Huckel; Sal Cruz and Michael Dahle of Saint Louis; Duquesne's Jim O'Hara; and Nathan Green of Xavier. Edward LeBlanc of Duquesne was named Student Athlete of the Year on the men's side.
