University of Richmond Athletics
Spider Student-Athletes Earn VaSID Academic Honors
07/12/2006 | General
July 12, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond student-athletes Chris Lahoud and Michelle Swartz were awarded a spot on the 2005-06 VaSID Academic All-State third team, as voted on by Virginia's sports information directors.
Saona Chapman, Claire Cunniff, Kelly Kolker, and Jordan Utley also picked up honorable mention for the award that requires student-athletes to be a key player in his or her sport and have obtained a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
Lahoud is a recent business administration graduate who was a defender on the Spider men's soccer team. He led a defense that only allowed 24 goals in 18 games. Lahoud's academic accomplishments include earning A-10 Academic All-Conference three times, being named NSCAA Academic All-South Atlantic Region honorable mention, and having the highest GPA of a graduating senior at Richmond this past year.
Kolker finished her senior season for the women's soccer team starting in all 18 games as goalkeeper and making 95 saves. She is a member of the National Foreign Language Honor Society, the Honor Fraternity Omicron Delta Kappa, and the National College Athlete Honor Society, to go along with her VaSID award. Kolker, a McLean, Va. native, double majored in world politics/diplomacy and Spanish, while also earning a minor in French.
Utley, a Richmond native, is an upcoming junior for the men's golf team. He was an Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection and two-time A-10 Performer of the Week. Utley led the Spiders in scoring average with a 73.6 and led the team in tournaments under par with four. He garnered three top-3 finishes and five top-5 finishes in 13 tourneys.
Chapman is a recent graduate from Voluntown, Conn. who led the Spider women's basketball team in field goal attempts, assists, steals and minutes. She finished her career ranked eighth on the all-time single-season list in assists with 142, and finished second on the all-time career list in assists with 449. Chapman is a two-time A-10 Second Team All-Conference selection, the winner of the Helen Humpert Award, and a three-year team captain. Chapman majored in religion and leadership studies.
Cunniff started in 17 of 19 games for the 11th ranked Spider lacrosse team as an attacker. She scored in 11 games on the season on her way to tallying 17 total goals. Cunniff also recorded two hat tricks on her way to being named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference team. Cunniff is a three-time member of the Dean's List.The Catonsville, Md. native is majoring in biology.
Swartz is a recent graduate from Severna Park, Md., who started as goalkeeper for the women's field hockey team. She garnered a conference-best 0.51 goals-against average in the A-10, while shutting out three conference teams. She finished her career with a goals-against average of 1.16 which is an all-time best at Richmond. Her academic accolades include a four-time STX/NFHCA National All-Academic award and the 2004 A-10 Field Hockey Sudent-Athlete of the Year Award. Swartz graduated with a major in leadership studies.
Players Mentioned
