University of Massachusets Athletics

UMass Lands 12 On A-10 Spring Academic Teams

UMass Lands 12 On A-10 Spring Academic Teams Track's Erik Peterson earns his sport's student-athlete of the year award, as Massachusetts leads A-10 in academic all-conference picks for seventh time in the last eight years.
Erik Peterson was named the Atlantic 10 men's outdoor track and field student athlete of the year.

Erik Peterson was named the Atlantic 10 men's outdoor track and field student athlete of the year.

June 14, 2002

AMHERST, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts placed 12 student-athletes from five of its teams on the nine spring Atlantic 10 academic all-conference squads recently announced by the league.

For the 2001-02 academic year, UMass had a league-high 30 student-athletes named to Atlantic 10 Conference all-academic teams, one more than second-place Duquesne (29) and six ahead of Saint Joseph's (24). It marked the seventh time in the last eight years Massachusetts led the A-10 in academic all-conference performers.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must have a grade point average of at least a 3.00 and be a starter or key reserve on his/her team. Voting is conducted by the A-10's sports information directors and the number of student-athletes selected to a team reflects the standard-sized team in that sport. Duquesne had a league-high 15 selections during the spring, followed by UMass (12) and Saint Joseph's (11).

The A-10 champion UMass softball team placed four student-athletes on the team in seniors Jen Hadley (Bristol, Conn.) and Teri Rooney (Visalia, Calif.), and juniors Brandi Cross (Diamond Bar, Calif.) and Kaila Holtz (North Vancouver, British Columbia). Hadley, a second team Verizon Academic All-America selection, has a 3.46 gpa in sociology, while Rooney, who earned first team Academic All-America recognition, owns a 3.53 mark in sport management. Cross has a 3.96 gpa in psychology and Holtz carries a 3.82 gpa in exercise science.

Massachusetts' other spring A-10 championship program, women's crew, had three honorees in juniors Bogumila Gorzkowski (Matawan, N.J.) and Megan Mastropolo (Old Tappan, N.J.) and sophomore Alpana Sharma (Breckenridge, Colo.). Gorzkowski is a 3.64 student in economics, Mastropolo owns a 3.69 gpa in HRTA and Sharma has a 3.69 gpa in economics.

The Minuteman track and field team, which finished second at the A-10 outdoor meet, had three selections, including the sport's student-athlete of the year in senior Erik Peterson (Seekonk, Mass.). Peterson, who finished third in the decathlon at the 2002 A-10 meet, graduated Cum Laude last month from UMass with a 3.92 gpa in environmental science. He was joined by teammates Kwesi Frimpong-Boateng (Accra, Ghana), a junior who has a 3.26 gpa in microbiology, and senior Mike Howell (Haverhill, Mass.), a 3.70 student in accounting. All three were earlier named to the 2002 A-10 indoor academic all-conference squad.

Also named to their sports respective teams were senior tennis standout Helena Horak (Westlake, Calif.) and lacrosse's Kelli Kurtz (Schwenksville, Pa.). Horak has a 3.94 gpa in biochemistry, while Kurtz posts a 3.78 gpa in exercise science.