June 22, 2011
RICHMOND, Va. (June 22, 2011) - Old Dominion University junior pitcher, Phil McCarthy (Chesapeake, Va.) who earned CAA All-Tournament honors is one of eleven student-athletes who were among the best in their sports both athletically and academically honored by the Colonial Athletic Association as recipients of the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award for the spring sports season.
McCarthy is the fourth ODU student-athlete to receive this honor for 2010-11. He joins Trian Iliadis (Men's Basketball), Amanda Bieber (Field Hockey) and Kristofer Hagg (Men's Swimming and Diving) who were named the best scholar athletes in their respective sports.
The conference honors one Scholar-Athlete in each of its 22 championship sports. Nominees for the award must be a starter or important reserve on their team and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25. The winners were selected by a vote of the sports information directors at each CAA institution.
Earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors were Old Dominion junior Phil McCarthy in baseball, Towson senior Nyasha Mauchaza in men's golf, Georgia State junior Charlotte Lorentzen in women's golf, Hofstra senior Mike Skudin in men's lacrosse, Delaware junior Kalyn McDonough in women's lacrosse, Drexel junior Elizabeth Bratton in women's rowing, Hofstra sophomore Olivia Galati in softball, UNC Wilmington senior Kinshuk Sharma in men's tennis, UNC Wilmington junior Christina Lee in women's tennis, Delaware junior Ed Bonnevie in men's track and field and Georgia State senior Yolanda Berryhill in women's track and field. Nine of the honorees had cumulative grade point averages of 3.7 or better and nine of them also earned All-CAA honors during the season.
Here is a brief biographical sketch on the award winners:
Phil McCarthy, Jr., Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge - Old Dominion (baseball) A junior majoring in exercise science and pre-med, McCarthy is a Dean's List student and a three-time recipient of the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award. He was one of the Monarchs' top starting pitchers this season, posting a 9-4 record with a 4.05 ERA. The right-hander tossed 95.2 innings and struck out 61 batters.
McCarthy, who earned a spot on the 2011 CAA All-Tournament team, was 7-3 with three complete games against CAA foes this season. He fanned a season high nine in a winat Georgia State and eight in ODU's CAA Tournament elimination game win over UNC Wilmington which put the Monarchs in the championship game against JMU.
Nyasha Mauchaza, Sr., Haverford, Pa./St. George's College - Towson (men's golf)A senior majoring in finance, Mauchaza has twice been chosen to the Arthur Ashe All-America Scholar first team and is one of 11 finalists again in 2011. He has been honored as a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar by the NGCA three times and was the recipient of Towson's Senior Career Achievement Award in 2011. He also received Academic All-District accolades this season. Mauchaza earned second-team All-CAA honors for the second year in a row in 2011 and also was named to the CAA All-Tournament team for the second time after placing third at the conference championship. He placed second at the PGA of America Minority Collegiate Golf Championship and earned one of 10 scholarships awarded at the event. Mauchaza was a tournament medalist three times in his career and had six career top 10 finishes.
Charlotte Lorentzen, Jr., Soroe, Denmark/Soroe Academi - Georgia State (women's golf)Lorentzen is the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's golf for the second year in a row. A junior majoring in journalism, she was named to the Academic All-District squad in 2011. She was an NGCA All-America Scholar in 2010 and was honored as a "Peach of An Athlete Role Model" by the Boy Scouts of America. Lorentzen was chosen as the CAA Women's Golfer of the Year for the second straight season in 2011. The two-time first-team All-CAA selection participated in the NCAA Regionals for the third time in as an individual. She has been the CAA's top ranked golfer for the past two seasons and was the medalist at the 2010 CAA Championship. Lorentzen has six top-five finishes in her career.
Mike Skudin, Sr., Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach - Hofstra (men's lacrosse)A senior majoring in physical education, Skudin was one of 20 student-athletes to be selected to the 2011 USILA Scholar All-America team. A four-time CAA Commissioner's Academic Award and Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll recipient, he was given the Nick Colleluori Unsung Hero Award from Hofstra athletics. Skudin was chosen as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 and received honorable mention All-America honors from the USILA. The first-team All-CAA pick participated in the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Classic. The only senior on a Hofstra defense that led the nation in goals against average (6.56 GAA), Skudin picked up 26 ground balls and had 16 caused turnovers.
Kalyn McDonough, Jr., Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville - Delaware (women's lacrosse)A junior majoring in urban affairs and public policy, McDonough is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Golden Key National Honor Society. She is a Dean's List student and CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient who has worked as a H.E.N.S. Peer Mentor. McDonough received first-team All-CAA honors in 2011 and voted as UD's Most Valuable Player. She led the Hens with 36 draw controls, was second with 18 caused turnovers and third with 25 ground balls. McDonough, who was a UD co-captain, added 14 goals and seven assists offensively.
Elizabeth Bratton, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil - Drexel (women's rowing)A junior majoring in health sciences, Bratton was named to the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete DIII team and the Pocock/CRCA DIII All-America second team in 2010. She is a CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and a Dean's List student at Drexel. Bratton earned All-CAA accolades in 2011 after sitting in the stroke seat on the Dragons' Varsity 8 boat. She placed fourth at the CAA Championship and was the top finisher in the second finals at the Dad Vail Regatta. Bratton's Varsity 8 boat also won the Lola Kerr Cup, placed second in the petite finals at the Knecht Cup and finished third at the San Diego Crew Classic.
Olivia Galati, So., West Babylon, N.Y./St. John The Baptist - Hofstra (softball)A sophomore majoring in physical education, Galati is a Dean's List student and a recipient of the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award. She earned her second straight CAA Pitcher of the Year award after breaking CAA and Hofstra records for wins (29-8), strikeouts (348) and shutouts (17) in 2011 while posting a 1.24 ERA. Galati, who was 14-1 with a 0.97 ERA in conference play, earned first-team NFCA All-Region and first-team All-CAA accolades for the second consecutive season. She ranked second in the nation in shutouts and was among the top 15 in Division I in seven different pitching categories. Galati is one of five finalists for the 2011 Premier Player of College Softball Award.
Kinshuk Sharma, Sr., Chandgarh, India/St. John's - UNC Wilmington (men's tennis)Sharma is the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's tennis for the second year in a row. A senior majoring in business finance, he was chosen to the CoSIDA Academic All-America at-large third team in 2011. Sharma also earned the Chancellor's Cup for Academic Excellence, which is UNCW's top academic award for a male student-athlete. On the court, Sharma earned first-team All-CAA honors in singles and doubles in 2011. He compiled an 18-6 record in singles and a 16-5 mark in doubles this season and set a new UNCW record for career singles victories with 65. He helped lead the Seahawks to a CAA championship, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a #38 national ranking.
Christina Lee, Jr., Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day - UNC Wilmington (women's tennis)A junior majoring in mathematics, Lee was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District at-large second team in 2011. She has made the Dean's List in every semester while participating in UNCW's Honors program. Along with her excellence in the classroom, Lee was the Carolina Region recipient of the ITA's Cissy Leary Award for Sportsmanship. On the court, she earned first-team All-CAA honors in singles and second-team All-CAA accolades in doubles in 2011. Lee went 20-4 in singles and closed the year on an 11-match winning streak. She is 50-12 in singles and 33-7 in doubles over her first three seasons.
Ed Bonnevie, Jr., Lafayette Hill, Pa./La Salle - Delaware (men's track and field)A junior majoring in mechanical engineering, Bonnevie was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team in cross country/track. He has made the Dean's List in every semester and graduated summa cum laude in May. Bonnevie, who is a member of the UD SAAC group, was named the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in cross country earlier this year. A three-year letterwinner in cross country and track and field, Bonnevie had the Blue Hens' sixth-best time in the 5,000 meters this season. He placed 29th at the CAA Cross Country Championship last fall.
Yolanda Berryhill, Sr., Leesburg, Ga./Lee County - Georgia State (women's track and field) A senior majoring in exercise science, Berryhill was chosen to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team in 2011. A CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient, she was a member of the President's List (4.0+ GPA) during the Fall 2010 semester. Berryhill was chosen as the Most Outstanding Performer in field events at the 2011 CAA Track & Field Championship, helping lead the Panthers to their first conference title. She accounted for 26 points at the meet, winning CAA titles in the shot put (13.97m) and discus (48.78m) while placing fourth in the hammer throw (49.69m). Berryhill is a three-time NCAA Regional qualifier and a four-time All-CAA honoree. She holds GSU records in the shot put, discus and hammer throw.