University of Albany's Steeplechase Champion Laura Cummings Among Six Earning America East All-Academic Honors

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Cambridge, Mass. -- Track champion Laura Cummings leads a group of six UAlbany spring athletes to be named to America East Conference all-academic teams, as announced by the conference office on Thursday, May 8. Each all-academic squad has been selected based on the student-athlete’s academic and athletic accomplishments. Academic achievement for consideration requires student-athletes to have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 entering the season. Athletic standards vary between team sports and individual sports. For track & field, student-athletes are required to be a top-three finisher at the conference championship meet.

Cummings, a junior English major from Bay Shore, N.Y., registered a pair of top-3 finishes at last weekend’s America East championship to appear on her second all-academic team of the year. She won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a school-record time of 10:33.60 and placed third in the 1,500-meter run in 4:33.09. Senior Arina Gerasimova, a business administration major, recorded a third-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 39-feet, 10.50-inches.

Three members of the America East champion men’s track and field team were named to the all-academic unit. Sophomore Valete Graham, a psychology major, won last Saturday’s long jump with a distance of 24-feet, 0.25-inches. Senior Renauld Buck, who has a dual major in history and communication, turned in a third-place finish in the shot put with a toss of 49-feet, 7.75-inches. Nick Assini, a junior business administration major, finished third in the 110-meter high hurdles in a season-best time of 14.53 seconds.

Jessica Signorelli earned America East all-academic honors after placing fifth at the America East Women’s Golf Championship last weekend. Signorelli, a sophomore communication major, carded a two-round score of 165 to help lead the Great Danes to their second America East title in the last five year.