AMERICA EAST RELEASE | OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—A trio of Hartford track and field student-athlete earned recognition for their performance on the track and in the classroom as members of the America East All-Academic Teams for outdoor track and field as announced Thursday morning. Senior Priscilla Appiagyei and junior Megan Barry represent the Hartford women on the All-Academic Team while junior John Busque represents the Hawk men.

A total of 21 student-athletes, 11 women and 10 men, were selected to the America East All-Academic squads for outdoor track and field.

Appiagyei, a senior sprinter from South Windsor, Conn., wraps up her collegiate career with her second selection to the America East All-Academic Team and her fourth overall appearance on a conference all-academic squad. A music education major in the University of Hartford's Hartt School, Appiagyei boasts a 3.86 cumulative grade point average. On the track, she finished fourth in the 400-meter dash at the America East Outdoor Track and Field Championship with a personal-best time of 55.69 seconds. Also at the conference meet, Appiagyei ran the second leg of the 4x400-meter relay, helping the Hawks to a fourth-place finish in the event in a school-record time of 3:49.41. She then closed out her collegiate career with a pair of All-New England nods, both in the open 400-meter dash with a fifth-place time and as a member of the 4x400-meter relay.

Barry earns her third selection to an America East All-Academic Team during her junior campaign after selections following the cross country and indoor track and field seasons. In the classroom, Barry holds a 3.90 GPA as a biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences. The junior ran her way to America East All-Conference and NEICAAA All-New England honors during the outdoor season. Barry earned all-conference recognition with a second-place finish in the 10,000 meters at the conference meet, posting a school-record time of 36:40.59 in the event. In the same meet, she finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the conference meet with a time of 17:45.69. Barry closed her season with a seventh-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the New England Championship to earn a spot on the All-New England Team.
 
Busque, like Barry, earns his third All-Academic accolade with his selection to the outdoor squad. The junior from Manchester, Conn., maintains a 3.93 GPA as a health sciences/physical therapy major in the School of Education, Nursing and Health Professions. Busque was Hartford's top distance runner as a junior, competing in both the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the America East Outdoor Championship. Busque also earned selection to the All-New England team in the 10,000 meters. At the New England Championship, he finished sixth overall in the event with a time of 32:34.80.
 
The All-Academic squads are a product of the June 2005 Athletics Directors meeting where faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference's nine member institutions decided to honor the league's top student-athletes, who excel equally in the classroom as they do on the playing field.
 
For the fourth straight year, America East selects the All-Academic teams using CoSIDA's Academic All-America program as a model. Student-athletes worthy of consideration are nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by a committee of SIDs, academic advisors and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.
 
All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time or are made up of 10 student-athletes for individual sports. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team's games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.