May 14, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - La Salle graduate student William Rhea and Lamarra Currie of Charlotte have been named the Atlantic 10 Student-Athletes of the Year in men's and women's outdoor track & field, respectively, in voting conducted among the Conference's sports information directors.

Rhea won the 800-meter run at the 2008 A-10 Outdoor Track & Field Championship, held on the campus of the University of Massachusetts on May 3-4. He was also a member on a pair of winning relay teams, taking gold in the 4x400m with a time of 3:14.20 as well as the 4x800m, which was clocked at 7:32.93. Rhea was an NCAA Regional qualifier in all three events, which include the Conference's top time of the year in the 800m (1:50.75) and the 4x800m relay (7:30.91).

Owner of a 3.54 cumulative grade point average as an integrated science and business technology major, Rhea was also named to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll in the fall.

Joining Rhea on the A-10 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-Conference team are La Salle teammates James Tchabo and Adam Woodford; Rhode Island's Brian Alexander; Austin Critchlow and David Whelan of Saint Louis; Charlotte's Matt Dobler and Ryan Jank; and Tom Finnerty and Clifton Hilario of Fordham. Each member of the Academic All-Conference team is a first-time selection.

Currie won the 100-meter dash (11.55) and the 200-meter dash (24.11) en route to being named the 2008 A-10 Most Outstanding Track Performer at the A-10 Outdoor Track & Field Championship. The junior from Apex, N.C., who lead the 49ers to their third consecutive A-10 crown, also holds the Conference's top spot in both events, notching NCAA Regional qualifying times of 11.52 in the 100m and 24.02 in the 200m during the year. Currie, who ran the second leg of Charlotte's NCAA Regional qualifying 4x100m relay (44.39) at the Penn Relays, is also a member of the program's record setting 4x200m relay team (1:35.59).

A psychology major, Currie carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average and earns a spot on the Academic All-Conference team for the second consecutive year.

Currie is joined on the Atlantic 10 Women's Track & Field Academic All-Conference team by Sarah Allen of Dayton; Laura Coyer of Saint Louis; Temple's Jesselle Cruz and Noelle McKenzie; Christina DeRosa and Shiyi Zan of Massachusetts; La Salle's Carolyn Lipovsky and Rachel Papin; and Amy Rhein of Saint Joseph's. It marks the third straight year that Papin has been honored on the Academic All-Conference team, while DeRosa and Lipovsky are repeat selections.

2008 ATLANTIC 10 WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Name	School	Cl.	Hometown	Major
Sarah Allen	Dayton	So.	Springboro, Ohio	Psychology
Laura Coyer	Saint Louis	Sr.	Burnsville, Minn.	Nursing
Lamarra Currie	Charlotte	Jr.	Apex, N.C.	Psychology
Jesselle Cruz	Temple	Sr.	Vineland, N.J.	Elementary Education
Christina DeRosa	Massachusetts	Sr.	Sound Beach, N.Y.	Kinesiology
Carolyn Lipovsky	La Salle	Sr.	Edison, N.J.	Chemistry
Noelle McKenzie	Temple	Sr.	Feasterville, Pa.	Public Relations
Rachel Papin	La Salle	Gr.	Philadelphia, Pa.	Nursing
Amy Rhein	Saint Joseph's	Jr.	Kendall Park, N.J.	Special Education
Shiyi Zan	Massachusetts	So.	Ottawa, Ontario	Kinesiology
Student-Athlete of the Year: Lamarra Currie, Charlotte

2008 ATLANTIC 10 MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Name	School	Cl.	Hometown	Major
Brian Alexander	Rhode Island	Jr.	North Kingstown, R.I.	Electrical Engineering
Austin Critchlow	Saint Louis	Jr.	Cape Girardeau, Mo.	Biology
Matt Dobler	Charlotte	So.	Wake Forest, N.C.	Athletic Training
Tom Finnerty	Fordham	Sr.	Midland Park, N.J.	Economics
Clifton Hilario	Fordham	Jr.	Circleville, N.Y.	Accounting
Ryan Jank	Charlotte	Jr.	Spartanburg, S.C.	Finance and Marketing
William Rhea	La Salle	Gr.	Rockville, Md.	Integrated Science, Business Technology
James Tchabo	La Salle	Sr.	Herndon, Va.	Integrated Science, Business Technology
David Whelan	Saint Louis	So.	Cincinnati, Ohio	Biomedical Engineering
Adam Woodford	La Salle	Gr.	Downingtown, Pa.	Communication
Student-Athlete of the Year: William Rhea, La Salle