Six Honored As CAA Fall Scholar-Athletes
RICHMOND, Va. (December 21, 2012) - Six
student-athletes who were among the best in their sports both athletically and
academically have been honored by the Colonial Athletic Association as
recipients of the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award for the fall sports season.
The conference honors one Scholar-Athlete
in each of its 22 championship sports. Nominees for the award must be a starter
or important reserve on their team and must have a minimum cumulative grade
point average of 3.25. The winners were selected by a vote of the sports
information directors at each CAA institution.
Earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors
were William & Mary senior Alex McGrath in men's cross country,
James Madison senior Katie Gorman in women's cross country, Hofstra senior
Melissa McCarthy in field hockey,
Georgia State junior Chris Locandro
in men's soccer, William & Mary senior
Mallory Schaffer in women's soccer
and Towson junior Katy Buck in
volleyball.
Here is a brief biographical sketch on the
award winners:
Alex
McGrath, Sr., Marlborough, N.H./ConVal Regional - William & Mary (men's
cross country)
A senior majoring in international relations,
McGrath received USTFCCCA All-Academic honors in cross country in 2011 and is
expected to earn the award again in 2012. He is also a four-time CAA
Commissioner's Academic Award recipient. McGrath was selected as the CAA men's
cross country Athlete of the Year in 2012. He captured the individual title at
the CAA Men's Cross Country Championship with a course-record time of 24:04 in
the 8K race and led the Tribe to their 13th consecutive conference
crown. McGrath also earned All-Region accolades after placing 18th
overall at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship with a time of 30:37 on the
10K course.
Katie Gorman, Sr., Lafayette Hill,
Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh - James Madison (women's cross country)
A senior majoring in kinesiology, Gorman is
a five-time CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and has earned the JMU
Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete award three times. She has made the JMU
President's List (3.9+ GPA) in three semesters and the Dean's List (3.5+ GPA)
in three semesters. Gorman earned All-CAA honors in cross country for the third
year in a row after placing fourth overall at the 2012 CAA Cross Country
Championship. She captured the individual title at the 2012 ECAC Championship
and the 2012 JMU Invitational and led the Dukes to the team championships in
both events.
Melissa
McCarthy, Sr., Havertown, Pa./Haverford - Hofstra (field hockey)
A
senior who is double majoring in psychology and early childhood and childhood
education, McCarthy is a two-time member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic
Honor Roll and is a CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient. She was chosen
to the NFHCA National Academic squad in 2011 and is expected to receive the
honor again in 2012. McCarthy started all 19 games on defense for the Pride
this season and was third on the team in scoring with four goals and three
assists from the back line. Despite taking only six shots all year, she
recorded a pair of goals against VCU and also scored against Saint Joseph's and
Towson. McCarthy led Hofstra with 1,274 minutes played.
Chris
Locandro, Jr., Kennesaw, Ga./The Walker School - Georgia State (men's soccer)
A
junior who is majoring in neuroscience and double-minoring in mathematics and
chemistry, Locandro has made the GSU President's List and is a two-time CAA Commissioner's
Academic Award recipient. He is enrolled in the Georgia State University Honors
College and is a member of the Collegiate Neuroscience Society. On the field,
Locandro earned first-team All-CAA honors in 2011 and third-team accolades in
2012 as a defender. He anchored a Panthers' defense that has recorded 11
shutouts over the past two seasons, including a school-record nine in 2011 when
they earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Locandro was selected to
the NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region third team in 2011.
Mallory
Schaffer, Sr., Allison Park, Pa./Hampton - William & Mary (women's soccer)
A
senior majoring in biology, Schaffer earns the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year
award in women's soccer for the second year in a row. She was selected to the
NSCAA Scholar All-America team in 2012 and received CoSIDA Academic All-America
honors in 2011. On the field, Schaffer was chosen as the CAA women's soccer
Player of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2012 and was named to
the NSCAA All-America second team, becoming just the ninth player in W&M
history to receive All-America honors in back-to-back years. The senior
midfielder contributed a team-high 10 goals and 23 points in 2012 as the Tribe
captured the CAA regular-season title. Schaffer, who is a three-time All-CAA
and All-Region selection, completed her career ranked among the top 10 in
W&M history in goals and points.
Katy
Buck, Jr., Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales Academy - Towson (volleyball)
A
junior majoring in biology, Buck was selected to the Capital One Academic
All-America first team in 2012 and made the Academic All-District first team
for the second year in a row. She is a three-time recipient of the CAA
Commissioner's Academic Award. On the court, Buck was chosen to the All-CAA
first team for the second straight season, becoming the first Towson volleyball
player to be named to the first team in back-to-back years since 2004. The
outside hitter ranked fourth in the CAA in kills per set (3.42) and fifth in
points per set (3.77) this season and became the 13th player in
school history to reach 1,000 kills for her career. In leading the Tigers to
the CAA regular-season title, Buck also was chosen as the MVP of the Battle at
the Bay Tournament and was a member of the CAA All-Tournament team.