UConn football leads Big East in academic honors

Although this past fall was somewhat disappointing for the UConn football team in conference play - the Huskies finished 5th among the eight teams - Head Coach Randy Edsall’s squad did lead the league in total number of players named to the 2009 BIG EAST All-Academic Football Team.

In all, 16 Connecticut student-athletes maintained the necessary grades to qualify for this recognition, one more than the 15 players from Rutgers named to the all-academic lineup.

To be eligible, a player must have maintained a cumulative grade-point index of at least 3.0 after completing two or more semesters of academic work.

The 16 players, their position and their majors are as follows (with Connecticut hometowns listed in parentheses):

Seniors

• John Apostolakos, tight end, Sports & Leisure/Finance

• Marcus Easley, wide receiver (Stratford), Sports Management

• Brad Kanuch, wide receiver, Sports & Leisure

• Alex LaMagdelaine, offensive guard, English/Economics

• Alex Molina, wide receiver (Waterford), Psychology

Juniors

• Derek Chard, (Burlington), Finance

• Robbie Frey, running back, History

• Alex Kaiser, tight end (Newington), Economics

• Alex Polito, defensive tackle, Communication Sciences

Sophomores

• Harris Agbor, safety, Political Science

• Emmanuel Omokaro, safety (Danbury), Sports & Leisure

• Moe Petrus, center, Psychology

• Dave Teggart, kicker, Sports & Leisure

• John Yurek, safety, Biological Sciences

Freshmen

• Jimmy Bennett, offensive tackle, undeclared major

• Corey Manning, tight end, undeclared major

“We are very proud of all 16 of our selections to the Big East All-Academic Football Team,” Edsall said in a prepared statement last week after the conference announced the names of the student-athletes.

“Academic achievement, and ultimately graduation, is a key component to being a member of the Connecticut football program.  I would like to say special thanks to the Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes (CPIA) for all the assistance that they provide the young men on our team,” he said.

In addition to Connecticut’s intellectual contingent, 90 other players met the criteria for nomination to this team, according to Big East officials.  Louisville and Syracuse each placed 14, South Florida 13, Cincinnati and West Virginia a dozen each and 10 Pittsburgh players made the team.

For the third time in the past six years, the Big East Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year comes from West Virginia; this year’s selection is Mountaineers middle linebacker Reed Williams, who will receive a $2,000 scholarship from the conference.

Posted Feb. 8, 2010