Navy Swimmers and Divers Earn League Academic Honor

Five Mids post 4.00 GPA's

	Christian Nielsen

July 1, 2008

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- A total of 20 student-athletes from the Navy men's and women's swimming and diving programs earned their way onto the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for the sport that was announced Tuesday by the league office. In all, 186 swimmers and divers from around the league garnered the accolade this year.

To be named to the honor roll, student-athletes must have both earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.20 during the 2008 spring semester and been awarded a varsity letter for their sport during the 2007-08 season.

The Navy men's team placed 11 members of its squad onto the list, including recent graduate Christian Nielsen (Port Charlotte, N.C.) who attained a 4.00 grade-point average during the spring term. His was one of nine 4.00 GPA's recorded by men's athletes in the league.

Also named to the list for Navy were Nielsen's classmates Adam Niekras (Liverpool, N.Y.), and Matt Wood (Evergreen Park, Ill.), rising seniors Kyle Abner (Glenwood, N.J.), Nathan Durham (Greensboro, N.C.), David Guthmann (Waxhaw, N.C.), Joe Unruh (Orinda, Calif.) and Dan Warner (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and juniors-to-be Frank Komadina (Gilbert, Ariz.), James Lascara (Charlotte, N.C.) and Adam Meyer (Bethesda, Md.).

Headlining the women's honorees was Navy's Kelly Zahalka (Richmond, Va.), who has earned a 4.00 GPA during each of her six completed semesters at Navy and was tabbed as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year and as an Academic All-American as both a sophomore and junior.

In addition to Zahalka, teammates Allison Aichele (Middletown, Md.), a rising sophomore, Jamie Call (Valdez, Alaska), a 2008 graduate of Navy, and Sarah Duffy (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who just completed her freshman year, also earned 4.00 GPA's during the 2008 spring semester. The foursome was joined on the honor roll by recent Navy graduates Katie Griffin (Ellicott City, Md.) and Kristin Lowd (High Point, N.C.), rising senior Jennie Spencer (Smithburg, W.Va.) and rising junior Tara Chapmon (Virginia Beach, Va.), who previously was named as the 2008 Patriot League Swimmer of the Year.

Navy Men's Swimmers and Divers on Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
Kyle Abner, Jr., Economics major, 3.50 GPA, Glenwood, N.J., previously named to 2007 PLAHR
Nathan Durham, Jr., Ocean Engineering, 3.78, Greensboro, N.C., first PLAHR
David Guthmann, Jr., Systems Engineering, 3.61, Waxhaw, N.C., 2006 & '07 PLAHR
Frank Komadina, So., History, 3.32, Gilbert Ariz., first PLAHR
James Lascara, So., Ocean Engineering, 3.81, Charlotte, N.C., 2007 PLAHR
Adam Meyer, So., Systems Engineering, 3.38, Bethesda, Md., first PLAHR
Adam Niekras, Sr., Information Technology, 3.63, Liverpool, N.Y., 2006 & '07 PLAHR
Christian Nielsen, Sr., Mechanical Engineering, 4.00, Port Charlotte, N.C., 2006 & '07 PLAHR
Joe Unruh, Jr., English, 3.85, Orinda, Calif., 2007 PLAHR
Dan Warner, Jr., Ocean Engineering, 3.30, Ann Arbor, Mich., 2006 PLAHR
Matt Wood, Sr., Mechanical Engineering, 3.40, Evergreen Park, Ill., 2007 PLAHR

Women's Swimmers and Divers on Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
Allison Aichele, So., Honors Applied Math major, 4.00 GPA, Middletown, Md., previously named to 2007 PLAHR
Natalie Albertson, Fr., Naval Architecture, 3.25, St. Paul, Minn., first PLAHR
Jamie Call, Sr., History, 4.00, Valdez, Alaska, 2005, '06, '07 PLAHR
Tara Chapmon, So., Oceanography, 3.60, Virginia Beach, Va., first PLAHR
Sarah Duffy, Fr., Chemistry, 4.00, Pittsburgh, Pa., first PLAHR
Katie Griffin, Sr., Oceanography, 3.33, Ellicott City, Md., first PLAHR
Kristin Lowd, Sr., International Relations, 3.73, High Point, N.C., first PLAHR
Jennie Spencer, Jr., Information Technology, 3.56, Smithburg, W.Va., first PLAHR
Kelly Zahalka, Jr., History, 4.00, Richmond, Va., 2006, '07 PLAHR