Program-High Five University of Albany Great Danes Named to USTFCCCA Division I All-Academic Team - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

New Orleans, La. – University at Albany’s Laura Cummings and Valete Graham lead a list of a program-high five Great Danes who were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic Team. Cummings and Graham, who are being honored for the second straight year, were joined by Fey Adaramola, Andrew Overbaugh and Peter Rowell.

In 2008-09, the honorees helped UAlbany combine to win three America East Conference and two IC4A championships and factored into six of the 33 school records established. The men’s team swept both America East and IC4A team titles, while the women won the America East outdoor championship and posted the highest finish in program history at the ECAC outdoor meet. UAlbany’s five USTFCCCA All-Academic selections, seven America East Indoor Track & Field All-Academic picks and six outdoor all-academic squad honorees were all league bests.

Cummings, who was one of only two women to be placed on three America East all-academic squads and was also an ESPN the Magazine Second-Team All-District selection, has a 3.48 cumulative grade point average as an English major with a minor in education. She was named all-conference for the second straight season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing third in 10:59.63 at the America East meet, and also competed in the event at the ECAC and NCAA East Regional competitions. Indoors, she most notably ran on the 4x800-meter relay team which set a school record for finishing third in 9:00.07 at the ECAC championship. Cummings scored points in five events at the America East indoor and outdoor meets and was a two-time all-conference honoree.

Graham, who was also a member of the America East indoor and outdoor all-academic teams and earned ESPN the Magazine First-Team All-District laurels, has a 3.69 GPA as a psychology major with a minor in business administration. He broke both school records in the long jump this year at the America East championship (24-feet, 9.50-inches, outdoors) and Arkansas’ Tyson Invitational (24-5, indoors). Graham was also an All-East selection in the event for leaping 24-2.25 at the regional and missed qualifying for the NCAA national meet by one centimeter. He accumulated points in both horizontal jumping events at the America East indoor and outdoor meets as well as the long jump at both of the IC4A championships.

A junior transfer from Central Florida who carries a 3.41 GPA as a human biology major, Adaramola was the premier women’s sprinter in America East this past year. Adaramola, who accounted for three school records, won the 100- and 200-meter dash events with marks of 11.96 and 24.27 seconds, respectively, at the league’s outdoor championship meet as well as the 200 title at the indoor competition in a school-record time of 24.30. She also anchored the second-place 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays at the outdoor meets as well as the winning 4x400-meter relay which set a school record (3:48.48) at the indoor championship. In addition, Adaramola scored 13 points for the Great Danes at the ECAC outdoor met by finishing second in the 100 and fourth in the 200. She competed in both sprinting events at the NCAA East Regional.

Overbaugh, a senior who has a 3.37 GPA as a sociology major with a minor in criminal justice, graduated as a member of eight America East championship teams and one squad which won the IC4A outdoor title. He ran the opening leg on the winning 4x400-meter relay (3:13.20) and placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles in 54.12 at this year’s America East outdoor competition. The senior also led off the 4x400 relay which placed second in 3:09.65 at the IC4A championship. Indoors, he ran the opening leg for the winning 4x400 relay which set a meet record of 3:11.77 at the America East championship while also running a personal-best time of 49.55 to place seventh in the 400-meter dash. Overbaugh qualified for the NCAA East Regional as a member of the 4x400-meter relay.

A sophomore transfer from Manhattan with a 3.72 GPA as a business administration major, Rowell ran on the 4x400-meter relay which placed seventh in a regional qualifying time of 3:08.86 at the Florida Relays. The mark matched a school record at the time. He also placed sixth in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles (54.65) at the America East outdoor championship. Indoors, Rowell most notably ran on the second-place 4x400-meter relay which clocked in with a NCAA provisional time of 3:09.78 at the IC4A championship.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met the NCAA Division I Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard in their respective event.