Academic honors
Two track athletes named to America East All-Academic Team
Senior Joe Miceli and junior Alana MacDonald have each been named to the America East All-Academic Squad for the 2016 outdoor track & field season. The selections were based on their accomplishments at the recent conference championship meet as well as their academic achievements.
To be eligible for All-Academic honors, a student-athlete must have sophomore athletic eligibility, attain a 3.30 minimum grade-point average and be contributor on their team. The squad is voted on by a committee made up of America East student-athlete support staff, athletic communications administrators as well as faculty athletic representatives.
Miceli’s stellar outdoor campaign concluded with a 21st-place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA East Region Meet last month. Prior to that, he was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer at the America East Championships, where he swept both the pole vault and decathlon titles.
During the indoor track season, Miceli was presented with the America East’s Elite 18 Award, for his accomplishments both in the classroom and in athletics. He was inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society in 2014.
Miceli, who has one more year of eligibility remaining, was also named to the America East All-Academic Team for the 2016 indoor track season.
MacDonald, meanwhile, now has three appearances on the America East’s All-Academic Team. She was also chosen for the 2015 and 2016 indoor track seasons.
At the America East Outdoor Championships, MacDonald was sixth in the 800. Two weeks later, she was part of the 4x800 team that placed third at the ECAC Championships.
In 2014, MacDonald was also inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society.
Four student-athletes named to America East Presidential list
Recent graduating seniors Alyssa Vallar, Alexis Hatcher, Jon Vallecorsa and Jade Marhaba have been named America East Presidential Scholar-Athletes for the 2015-16 academic year.
The award recognizes graduating student-athletes who compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher as an undergraduate student and graduated this spring.
In addition to registering a 3.75 GPA for their college career, honored student-athletes must have attended their institution for a minimum of two years.
Vallar was a four-year member of the women’s soccer team while Hatcher, Vallecorsa and Marhaba all were part of the track and cross country programs. In addition, Vallar was named to the America East Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team while Vallecorsa and Hatcher were recognized during the cross country season.
The Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award was approved by the America East Board of Presidents in June of 2013 and implemented starting in the 2013-14 academic year. In the three years since then, 13 Binghamton student-athletes have been recognized.
Women’s tennis player DiMuro named America East All-Academic
Annie DiMuro of Binghamton women’s tennis has been named to the 2016 America East All-Academic Team. DiMuro is the fourth different Bearcat to be recognized since 2013.
A junior from Chester, New Jersey, DiMuro had a solid campaign in 2015-16. She played the majority of her singles matches at #2, going 10-8 in that slot. DiMuro often teamed up with Sara Kohtz at #2 doubles, as the pair split six such bouts.
DiMuro has a 3.52 grade point average while majoring in geography. Student-athletes must earn at least a 3.30 GPA and be a significant contributor to the team to be nominated for the all-academic team.
Coach Libby McGovern finished her sixth season at Binghamton. She has now coached nine all-academic honorees. In 2014-15, Shea Brodsky and Katherine Medianik were both chosen to the squad.
Nine athletes were selected to the all-academic team this year, with UMBC leading the way with three players.
Two wrestlers named NWCA All-Academic
Jack McKeever and Jacob Nicholson of Binghamton wrestling have been named 2015-16 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic. McKeever, a senior, earned recognition for the second straight year, while Nicholson, a junior in his first year at Binghamton, picked up the honor for the first time.
From the NWCA, “Awarded annually, the NWCA All-Academic team is comprised of 116 student-athletes. For the second year in a row, half of the Division I champions made the team, while two additional runner-ups were included. In all, 36 All-Americans were All-Academic selections, which is up from last year’s 28.
Of the 116, 101 of the student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Division I championships, up from 96 in 2014-15 and an increase of 24 since 2013-14.”
To qualify, student-athletes must have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule, or been an NCAA All-American with at least a 3.0 GPA.
McKeever capped his career with a terrific senior campaign. He qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second straight season, winning a match at historic Madison Square Garden this March. The 174-pounder went 24-10, including a 14-3 dual record. McKeever, a native of Brookfield, Connecticut, was chosen as a Binghamton Male Athlete of the Year finalist earlier this month.
Nicholson posted a 20-13 overall record as a 133-pounder. The native of Waterloo, New York, established himself as the Bearcats’ regular starter early in the season. He went 12-6 in dual bouts, tallying a team-high four pins.
McKeever joins Tyler Deuel, who finished his career in 2015, as the only two-time All-Academic honorees in program history. Since 2003, 11 different BU grapplers have been chosen to the squad.
Coach Matt Dernlan’s group put together its best dual season of his five-year tenure in 2015-16. Binghamton won 11 contests, including a stellar 7-4 mark in the challenging Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). Binghamton will have to replace McKeever, but returns its other nine regular starters for next season.