Feb. 4, 2010

PHILADELPHIA - La Salle senior Yves Mekongo and junior Steve Weingarten have been named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II men's basketball first team. Both players will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration, which will be announced on February 24.

La Salle is one of four Division I schools nationally to have two men's players selected to the Academic All-District teams, joining Cornell, Butler and Northwestern State. Mekongo and Weingarten are the only players from the Philadelphia Big 5 to be recognized and join Dayton's Kurt Huelsman and Duquesne's Jason Duty as the only players from the Atlantic 10.

It marks the second straight season that Mekongo has earned Academic All-District honors. He was also a Second Team Academic All-American last year. The native of Cameroon also has earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area honors twice in his career. Mekongo has a 3.80 grade point average as an integrated science, business and technology major.

"We've been spoiled by Yves' outstanding academic accomplishments," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "We've come to expect him to be a great student and continue to receive these wonderful honors."

The senior is averaging a career-best 11.1 points per game and is five points away from being the 48th Explorer to reach the 1,000 point milestone. He adds 5.5 rebounds per game.

Weingarten earns Academic All-District honors for the first time in his career. A member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, Weingarten has a 3.88 grade point average as a history major.

"In Steve's case, we've always known he was an elite student," Giannini said. "This recognition is really a result of him being a more prominent part of our basketball team."

The Baltimore, MD native earned a scholarship after walking-on as a Division III transfer from Connecticut College. He has appeared in all 22 games in 2009-10, starting four, and is averaging 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Along with senior Morgan Robertson, who was named to the Academic All-District II women's basketball first team, La Salle is one of four schools nationally to have both a male and female player honored on the academic all-district team.