FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2013
Franklin Pierce's Ray, Merrimack's Sheehan receive academic honors
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Two Northeast-10 Conference student-athletes have been selected to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-District ® Volleyball Teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), which recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
Among the six student-athletes selected to All-District was Franklin Pierce University senior Natasha Ray and Merrimack College junior Stephanie Sheehan (pictured). Both will advance to the Academic All-America ballot.
It is the first CoSIDA Academic All-District selection for Ray and the third in program history, as Ray earned both the Northeast-10's Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence selection in volleyball and a spot on the Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference Team a year ago. She sports a 3.88 GPA as a Mass Communication major. On the court, Ray is averaging 2.63 kills and 2.42 digs per set this season.
Sheehan, who has a 3.50 GPA as an Elementary Education major, is in the midst of a stellar campaign for the Warriors. She currently ranks first in the Northeast-10 in kills per set (3.92) and kills (380), and the Smithtown, N.Y. native was named as a Sports Imports/AVCA Division II National Player of the Week once earlier this fall.
To be eligible for selection, each student-athlete must own a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average or higher, be at least a sophomore in academic standing and be a starter or significant contributor athletically. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are voted on by sports information directors in the district and nation, respectively.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
– #NE10 –
Additional Information Provided by Franklin Pierce, Merrimack Athletics Communications Staffs
