Field Hockey Honored With Eighth-Straight D-I National Academic Team Award; Nine Honored to NFHCA Academic Squad

ORONO, Maine -- It has been announced that the 2011 University of Maine field hockey squad has been honored with the 2011 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division I National Academic Team Award. It is the eighth-straight year that the Black Bears have been honored with the academic award. In addition, nine Black Bears were named to the 2011 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad.

Selected to the National Academic Squad from Maine were Zoe Berkey (Duncan, British Columbia) - Civil Engineering major, Hannah Keating (York, Maine) - Nursing, Becca Paradee (Gardiner, Maine) - Exercise Science, Holly Stewart (North Vancouver, British Columbia) - Exercise Science, Alexa Binnendijk (Den Haag, Holland) - Mass Communication, Megan Miller (Turner, Maine) - Civil Engineering, Brittany Fleck (Vancouver, British Columbia) - Kinesiology, Jocelyn Mitchell (Kanata, Ontario) - Kinesiology & Physical Education and Kelly Newton (Vancouver, British Columbia) - Nursing.

The Black Bears nine recipients were the second most amongst America East teams as Vermont led the way with 11 selections.

The National Academic Team award is presented each year to those program's that excel in the classroom and compile a 3.0 GPA or better throughout the first semester of the 2011-12 academic year.

Earlier this winter, the Black Bears had 13 student-athletes honored to the America East Fall Academic Honor Roll and 13 student-athletes honored as Maine Scholar-Athlete award winners.

-U-M-