June 25, 2009

EASTON, Pa. - Fourteen women's lacrosse players were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll on Thursday afternoon. The Leopards boasted a team grade-point average (GPA) of 3.26, matching the highest since the 2005 spring semester.

The 3.26 team GPA placed the Leopards eighth out of 21 varsity sports, moving the team six spots up from just a year ago. Players from every class were represented, led by six juniors. Senior Kristin Ruminski, an Economics and Business major, boasted a team-high 3.77 GPA.

The Leopards were also active outside of the classroom this past year as many players traveled abroad or completed externships and internships.

Over the 2009 January interim session, senior Emily Archibald traveled to New Zealand and Courtney Bryan spent the session in South Africa. Bree Belmonte worked with Villanova Law School during the interim while Emily Bjork spent time with Jones and Bartlett Publishers and Maria Drehwing completed a public relations interim externship in New York City. Tara Winter participated an interim externship with Comcast-Spectacor in Philadelphia.

During the 2008 fall semester, three players traveled abroad. Bjork traveled to Copenhagen, Drehwing spent a semester in Copenhagen and Sofie Grossman, a Spanish and American Studies double major, was in Spain.

Several players also earned awards following the spring season. Drehwing was named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and the Lehigh Valley Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (LVAIAW) named Ruminski the Most Outstanding Athlete in women's lacrosse.

To be eligible for the Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a 3.20 GPA in the spring semester and be awarded a varsity letter in one of the Patriot League's 16 winter or spring championship sports. The criteria for awarding varsity letters are different at each institution.

Player           Yr.    Major                           GPAEmily Archibald  Sr.    Psychology                  3.66Alexa Biale          Fr.    English                         3.25Bree Belmonte  So.    Government & Law            3.4Emily Bjork          Jr.    Government & Law            3.32Courtney Bryan    Jr.    Policy Studies                  3.2Andrea Corpora    Jr.    Neuroscience                    3.25Maria Drehwing    Jr.    Art and Government & Law    3.5Sofie Grossman    Jr.    Spanish and American Studies    3.27Haley Huffines    Fr.    Economics & Business            3.77Lisa O'Donnell     Fr.    Economics & Business            3.35Meg Ohlmacher  Fr.    Anthropology & Sociology    3.6Sydney Peyser  Jr.    Art                         3.58Kristin Ruminski Sr.   Economics & Business            3.85Tara Winter  So.    History and American Studies    3.35