University of Richmond Athletics
Spider Student-Athletes Earn VaSID Academic Honors
06/15/2007 | Women's Lacrosse
June 15, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond student-athletes Claire Cunniff, Mandy Friend, Beatrice Grasu, Phil Hartman, Eric Sciocchetti and Jordan Utley were awarded a spot on the 2007 VaSID Academic All-State Team, as selected by Virginia's sports information directors.
Utley and Cunniff earned VaSID academic honors for the second-straight year.
Cunniff, Friend, Grasu, Hartman, Scioccetti and Utley were six of 200 Virginia collegiate student-athletes honored for their performances both in the classroom and in competition for the award that requires student-athletes to have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better. All athletes are either starters or key reserves for their team.
Cunniff (Catonsville, Md), a rising senior attack on the women's lacrosse team and biology major, is a two-time A-10 All-Academic member who notched 10 goals, added two assists and recorded one hat trick this season.
Friend (Canandaigua, N.Y.), also on the women's lacrosse team, is a rising junior midfielder majoring in leadership studies. A two-time All-American, Friend was named the leagues' Co-Offensive Player of the Year and the A-10 Championship's Most Outstanding Performer after a standout season which she racked up a program-best 62 goals and 77 points. She was also selected to the A-10 Championship team and All-Conference and VaSID first teams for the second-straight season, named A-10 Player of the Week (2/26) and earned preseason honors, as she was one of just 34 players in the country named to The Tewaaraton Award Foundation's Spring 2007 Women's Preseason Watch List, in addition to being named a Preseason All-American.
Grasu (Reisterstown, Md.), a recent graduate with a biochemistry and molecular biology major, was a standout for the Spider women's tennis squad. A two-time A-10 All-Conference honoree, Grasu helped the Spiders to four-straight A-10 Championships, including a perfect 3-0 mark at third singles and 2-0 at first doubles at the 2007 A-10 Championships.
Hartman (Roanoke, Va.), a rising senior midfielder on the men's soccer squad and business administration major, started all 21 matches as a co-captain and a leader of a defense that allowed just 20 goals in 21 games, the second-lowest goal total in school history. He was also named to the A-10 Academic All-Conference Team and was a NSCAA Academic All-East Region honorable mention.
Teammate Sciocchetti (Wallingford, Pa.), a rising senior goalkeeper and double major in business administration and Spanish/international business, posted six shutouts in his third year as a starter for the Spiders. He allowed just four goals in conference play and led the A-10 with an .863 save percentage and had an 0.84 goals against average. He also earned a spot on the NSCAA All-East Region Scholar-Athlete Team and A-10 Academic All-Conference Team. His athletic honors include NSCAA First-Team All-Mid Atlantic Region, A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-Atlantic 10 and the A-10 Championship's All-Tournament Team.
Rounding out the academic honors, Utley (Richmond, Va.), a rising senior on the men's golf squad and accounting major, played in 11 tournaments and had a 74.18 stroke average. He led the Spiders with seven rounds under par and finished one tournament under par, winning the Joe Agee Invitational with a 66-71-68. He finished in the top-20 in all six tournaments this spring, including a ninth-place finish at the Lacrosse Homes Invitational and a 10th place finish at the Cavalier Classic. Utley was named to the PING All-Mid Atlantic Region Team and was selected to the A-10 Academic All-Conference Team.
