Feb. 29, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, PA- La Salle's Rachel Papin (Philadelphia, PA/St. Hubert's) has been named the Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year in women's indoor track & field, in voting conducted among the Conference's sports information directors.

Papin earned Most Outstanding Track Performer honors at the 2008 A-10 Indoor Track & Field Championship on February 16th after winning the 5,000m run in a meet and facility record-time of 16:32.14.  The time provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships on Mar. 14-15 at the University of Arkansas.   

The Philadelphia native also ran the anchor leg of the Explorers' distance medley relay which captured gold in a Championship and facility-record time of 12:05.44.  A member of the Dean's List, Commissioner's Honor Roll and three-time Academic All-Conference selection, Papin boasts a 4.0 grade-point average in La Salle psychology graduate school program. 

Papin is joined on the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Indoor Track & Field Academic All-Conference team by senior teammate Carolyn Lipovsky (Edison, NJ/Bishop Ahr); Dayton's Sarah Allen, Stacy Chew and Megan Sweeney; Brittany Bakanowsky and Christina DeRosa of Massachusetts; Laura Coyer and Laura Hamilton of Saint Louis; Charlotte's Lamarra Currie and LaJarsha Moses; Brittney McRae of Temple; Saint Joseph's Andrea Florida; Samantha Howard of Duquesne; and Rhode Island's Stephanie Gregory. 

On the men's side members of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Indoor Track & Field Academic All-Conference team are junior David Alfano (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) and sophomore Andrew Wagoner (Pittsburgh, PA/Central Catholic) of La Salle; along with Rhode Island's Brian Alexander, Thomas Barek, Michael Bernardo and Stephen Mateka; Matt Alexander, Austin Critchlow and David Whelan of Saint Louis; Massachusetts Nathan Barksdale, Ryan Durkin and Ian Hackney; and teammates Clifton Hilario and Matt Lowenthal of Fordham.