Canisius College senior Frank Turner has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District I Second Team for the 2009-10 season, the NABC announced today. The NABC recognizes the nation’s best men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes, and honorees are selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC.
The 240 honored student-athletes from 24 districts are eligible for the State Farm Division I All-America teams, to be announced Saturday, April 3, at 11 a.m. at Bracket Town in the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., during the NABC Convention and NCAA Final Four.
Turner was one of 10 student-athletes from the NABC’s District I to be honored. The District I grouping is made up of the 19-member schools from both the Metro Atlantic Athletic and America East Conferences. Turner is joined on the second-team by Muhammad El-Amin (Stony Brook), Ryan Rossiter (Siena), Ryan Thompson (Rider) and Greer Wright (Binghamton). This marks the first time in Turner’s career that he’s been honored by the NABC.
Turner ended his career at Canisius ranked in the top-10 in 12 different statistical categories at the College, and he goes down in the school’s record books ranked first in career games played (125), career minutes (4,567) and career assists (616), while ranking fourth in career points (1,769) and third in career steals (193). He closed out the 2009-10 season ranked sixth in the MAAC in scoring average (16.2 points per game), second in assists per game (5.7 per contest) and first in steals per game, with 2.1 swipes per outing. A three-time All-MAAC selection, he also named to the MAAC All-Academic Team after his senior campaign.
The Golden Griffins went 15-17 overall in 2009-10 and posted an 8-10 record in MAAC play. The 15 wins stand as the most for the team since 2000-01, and the eight regular-season conference victories are the most for the Blue and Gold since 2004-05. Canisius’ win over Marist in the first round of the 2010 MAAC Tournament gives the program a postseason win in six-straight years, the longest active streak of its kind in the 10-team league.
UB’s Smith and Cannon Earn Academic All-MAC Honors
Sophomores John-Martin Cannon (Brockport, NY/Brockport) and Kevin Smith (Mexico, NY/Mexico) have been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference as announced by the conference offices on Thursday morning. Cannon and Smith join eight additional MAC wrestlers who were selected by the conference’s faculty athletic representatives for their outstanding performances on and off the mat.
An exercise science major, Smith receives his second consecutive selection with a GPA of 3.625, the highest among the honorees for the second time. In the 133-pound weight class, the tri-captain has posted a 28-11 overall record including a 12-5 dual meet record. In his first competition of the year, tri-captain finished in second place at the UB Open, defeating then 14th ranked Jimmy Conroy of Pittsburgh. At the Body Bar Invitational, Smith defeated then sixth ranked Mike Grey of host Cornell en route to finishing in second place. In his final tournament of the regular season, Smith placed second at the New York State Intercollegiate Championships.
At the MAC Championships, 17th nationally-ranked Smith finished in second place with a 4-1 record to earn his first trip to the NCAA National Tournament.
With a GPA of 3.313, Cannon has been selected for the first time in his career. The elementary education major has compiled a 22-14 overall record while rattling off a career-best seven-straight victories. Competing in the 165-pound weight class, Cannon posted an impressive 4-1 record against MAC opponents. Early in the season, Cannon finished in seventh place at the Las Vegas Invitational among a field of 15 of the top-30 wrestlers in the nation. At the New York State Intercollegiate Championships, Cannon captured the individual title, posting a 4-0 record including an upset over 16th nationally-ranked Justin Kerber of Cornell in the championship bout. For his first-place performance, Cannon received the honor of being named MAC Wrestler of the Week.
At the MAC Championships, Cannon finished in third place due to an injury default in the bout for true second. For the first time in his career, Cannon joins three of his teammates at the NCAA National Tournament, earning a spot as a National Qualifier.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award. Outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments for the current season only are considered.
NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving meet to be held at Purdue this weekend
University at Buffalo diver Meili Carpenter (Boulder, CO/Fairview) will compete in the 2010 Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships this weekend at Purdue University’s Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Indiana. The meet begins today (March 18) and continues through Saturday (March 20).
Last weekend at the 2010 Zone A qualifier meet, the senior earned her third consecutive trip to the NCAA meet with a first-place finish on the one-meter board, second-place finish in the three-meter event and fifth-place finish on the platform.
This weekend, the one-meter event will compete on Thursday, the three-meter on Friday and the platform will compete on Saturday with the preliminary rounds beginning at 1:30 pm and the finals starting at 7:00 pm each day. Championship central can be found at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-swim/champpage/w-swim-div1-index.html.
Carpenter had a stand-out senior season with the Bulls, breaking her own school record four times in the three-meter dive, finishing with a lifetime best and school record score of 350.65. She also swept the boards at the Mid-American Conference Championship meet earning the top spots in both the one and three-meter events, on her way to being named the 2010 Women’s MAC Diver of the Year. With her first-place finish in the one-meter event at the MAC meet, and a repeat performance at the Zone A meet, Carpenter remains undefeated on the one-meter board going into the weekend.
Buffalo State Recognizes Top Scholar-Athletes at Academic Luncheon
Buffalo State honored 70 student-athletes at its 13th Annual Scholar-Athlete Academic Luncheon to recognize student-athletes that have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher for at least three semesters at the college today in the Hall of Fame Lobby in the Sports Arena.
Following opening remarks by Athletics Director Jerry Boyes, Interim President Dennis K. Ponton addressed the audience. Among the 70 student-athletes honored, were 28 that have maintained a 3.50 GPA or higher.
Nate Culver (Chemung/Waverly) and Jenna Frieling (E. Amherst/Williamsville North) were also recognized as the top graduating male and female scholar-athletes. Culver is a member of the cross country team majoring in art education and has maintained a 3.85 GPA. Frieling is a member of the softball program, graduating with a degree in exceptional and elementary education with a 3.88 GPA.
The athletics department would like to recognize and thank the following invited faculty and staff members that were present at the invitation of individual student-athletes: Slade Gellin (Technology), Lisa August (Career Development), Maria Garrett (Modern & Classical Languages), Kim Truesdell (Elementary Education), Cynthia Eggleston (Elementary Education), John McKinnis (Writing Program), Lorin Bleuer (Mathematics), Harriet Sacks (Elementary Education), Bill Grieshober (Small Business Development), Renee Carlineo (Health & Wellness), Stan Panetski (Design), Frances Gage (Fine Arts), Barb Oliveri (Health & Wellness), Carol Wannemacher (Psychology), Jean DiPirro (Psychology), Paul Koestler (Mathematics), James Mayrose (Technology), Kathleen O’Brien (Hospitality & Tourism), Robert Mead-Colegrove (Orientation), Michael MacLean (Psychology), Jude Jayatilleke (EOP), Leslie Day (Elementary Education), Michael Cretacci (Criminal Justice), Jill Norvilitis (Psychology), Joe Marren (Communication), Christina Carter (Mathematics), Andrew Nicholls (History and Social Studies), Robert Barone (Computer Information Systems), and Gerald Oczek (History and Social Studies).
