University of Albany Track & Field's Valete Graham & Laura Cummings Voted to All-District I Academic Team - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Philadelphia, Pa. – University at Albany’s Valete Graham and Laura Cummings have been named to the ESPN The Magazine District I Academic All-America Track and Field Teams, as announced on Thursday, June 4 by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). Graham was selected to the all-district first team and will be placed on the national ballot, while Cummings made the second team.

Graham, a junior psychology major who carries a 3.74 cumulative grade point average, was a member of the America East indoor and outdoor all-academic teams. He was also named to the 2008 USTFCCCCA Division I All-Academic Team. Graham, who has helped the Great Danes win six America East championships and two IC4A titles in his career, broke school records in the long jump this year at the America East championship (24-9.50, outdoors) and Arkansas’ Tyson Invitational (24-5, indoors). The league’s two-time defending outdoor long jump champion was named All-East for placing seventh with a mark of 24-2.25 at the NCAA East Regional last weekend. His effort helped UAlbany finish 10th among 122 schools in the region with 21 points, which are both program highs. A native of Bronx, N.Y., Graham met the IC4A standard in both horizontal jumping events indoors and outdoors. He placed fifth in the long jump at the IC4A indoor meet (23-5.50) and seventh at the outdoor championship (23-10.25). UAlbany became the first school to sweep the IC4A team titles in the same year since Rutgers in 2005.

Cummings, a senior English major with a 3.41 cumulative GPA, is being awarded all-district honors for the second straight season. She was one of two distance runners to garner all-academic team laurels by America East in all three sports, and also earned a spot on the 2008 USTFCCCCA Division I All-Academic Team. Cummings, who holds the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:33.60), is a two-time all-conference recipient and NCAA East Regional Championship qualifier. Cummings placed 20th at the regional meet last weekend, clocking in at 10:53.90. Her third-place performance at the league championship helped the Great Danes win their third America East crown in the last four years. At ECAC indoors, she most notably ran on the 4x800-meter relay squad which placed third and set a program standard (9:00.07). A native of Bay Shore, N.Y., Cummings anchored the distance medley relay team to a second-place finish (12:16.84) at the America East championship.