TOWSON, Md. – Senior wide receiver Casey Cegles and senior quarterback Blair Peterson lead a contingent of 12 Towson University student-athletes who were selected to the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Football Academic All-Conference team.
The Tigers of Coach Rob Ambrose, who had eight players named to the offensive unit and four to the defensive unit, ranked fourth among the 12 CAA schools by having 12 players named to the Academic All-Conference team. Hofstra, New Hampshire and Northeastern led the CAA with 13 selections each.
Towson and Delaware were tied for fourth place with 12 honorees while Rhode Island placed ten student-athletes on the team. Richmond had eight players selected while NCAA FCS national champion Villanova was represented by seven student-athletes. They were followed by James Madison (6), Maine (5), Massachusetts (4) and William & Mary (3).
Cegles, a Business Administration major, and Peterson, a Spanish major, were the only Tiger seniors named to the Academic All-Conference team. Running back Dominique Booker was also honored, along with offensive tackle Ben Hunolt, offensive guard Dan Hurley, quarterback Brian Potts, fullback Tyler Wharton and tight end Tony Zaccarelli.
Booker and Hunolt are Business Administration majors while Hurley is a sophomore Political Science major. Potts has a major in Sport Management while Wharton is a sophomore Actuarial Science major. Zaccarelli is a Criminal Justice major.
Junior defensive tackle Yaky Ibia is one of four members of the Tiger defense named to the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team. A member of ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-America? District 2 University Division football team, Ibia was also selected to the FCS Academic All-Star team by the FCS Athletic Directors’ Association.
Defensive end Frank Beltre, junior cornerback Jeremy Gardner and sophomore defensive tackle Armen Melikian were also named to the defense.
While Ibia is an Actuarial Science major, Gardner and Melikian major in Business Administration. Beltre is a Sport Management major.
CAA Football cited 106 student-athletes – 63 on offense and 43 on defense – as members of its 2009 Academic All-Conference team.
To be eligible for the CAA Football Academic All-Conference Team, a player must be a starter or important reserve and have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.00-or-better (on a 4.00 scale) for his entire academic career. A transfer is not eligible unless he has completed one (1) full year at his institution. First-year freshmen are not eligible.
