Congratulations Ed, Jim and Tara

ATLANTIC 10 ANNOUNCES SWIMMING & DIVING ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
La Salle’s Shannon Duval and Edward LeBlanc of Duquesne Garner Student-Athlete of the Year Distinction

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - La Salle’s Shannon Duval and Edward LeBlanc of Duquesne have been tabbed the Atlantic 10 Student-Athletes of the Year in women’s and men’s swimming & diving, respectively, in voting conducted among the Conference’s sports information directors.

Duval won both the 100-yard (1:03.85) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.35) events and placed third in the 200-yard individual medley (2:04.67) at the 2010 A-10 Championship (Feb. 17-20) in Buffalo, N.Y. A native of Trinidad & Tobago, the senior also swam the second leg of the Explorers’ 400-yard medley relay which established a school record with a time of 3:48.84.

A three-time Academic All-Conference selection, Duval boasts a 3.81 grade point average as an Accounting major. She is the first La Salle female swimmer to garner Student-Athlete of the Year distinction since Melissa MacPherson in 2001.

Joining Duval on the women’s swimming & diving Academic All-Conference team are teammates Nicole LePere and Katie Sieben of Richmond; Martha Cutter-Wilson and Kari Peglar of Xavier; La Salle’s Emily Heath; Anna Larson of Saint Louis; George Washington’s Paola Leor; Massachusetts’ Jessica Starosielec; and Tara VanNatta of Duquesne. Both Cutter-Wilson and Larson have been selected to the team for the third consecutive year.

LeBlanc was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the A-10 Championship after winning gold medals and eclipsing league records in the 100-yard freestyle (44.32) and 200-yard freestyle (1:37.64) events. The resident of Raleigh, N.C., also placed first in the 500-yard freestyle (4:27.25), established four league records and posted six NCAA “B” cut performances.

The first male swimmer in program history to earn A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year honors and two-time Academic All-Conference selection, LeBlanc maintains a 3.39 grade point average while majoring as a Physician Assistant.

Joining LeBlanc on the men’s swimming & diving Academic All-Conference team are Justin and Ryan Coombs of Fordham; La Salle’s Brandon Hargraves and Justin Huckel; Sal Cruz and Michael Dahle of Saint Louis; Massachusetts’ Adam Duffield; Duquesne’s Jim O’Hara; and Nathan Green of Xavier. It marks the third consecutive year that Ryan Coombs has been named to the team, while Dahle, Duffield and Justin Coombs are repeat selections.