Lander Named ECAC Division III Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year

CENTERVILLE, Mass. (Aug. 25, 20111) – Jeff Lander from Anna Maria College and Jennifer Paulucci of Johns Hopkins University have been selected the 2011 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Scholar-Athlete men's and women's award winners.

 Committees considered the following criteria that a candidate must be enrolled at the undergraduate institution at the time of their nomination; maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher; reach sophomore athletic and academic standing; and be a starter or significant reserve in a particular sport while competing in a least 50 percent of the contests. In addition, the student-athletes' community service, exemplary citizenship or other extracurricular activities will be considered.

Lander, who played as a graduate student this spring, helped lead Anna Maria to the ECAC New England Baseball co-championship title. The AMCATS registered their best season in school history with a 26-19 mark, including a 13-9 Commonwealth Coast Conference record.

 And Lander was a solid contributor to the team's success. The outfielder/designated hitter had a .390 batting average in 16 games played (15 starts) and he slugged .585. He also recorded a .545 on-base percentage and had 14 walks, 15 runs scored and 10 runs batted in. As a result, he was named TCCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He finished his career as the program's home run leader and ranked second in stolen bases.

 A Gloucester resident, Lander received a bachelor's degree in sports communications/business in 2010 and wound up with a 4.00 grade-point average. The 2010 Anna Maria Scholar-Athlete of the Year worked in the athletic department as a graduate assistant and founded the school's first radio station that focused on broadcasting athletic events.

 Paulucci, of Manalapan, N.J., was an anchor for a rock-solid defensive Blue Jays squad that won four Centennial Conference titles and made trips to the NCAA Tournament in as many years during her career. The two-time coaches' All-American was voted the 2010 NCAA Division III Defensive Player of the Year during her senior year as Hopkins went 19-4-1 overall, reached the NCAA Quarterfinals and allowed just 0.71 goals per game. All told, JHU was 70-14-7 and recorded 59 shutouts during her 89 career starts. She is a four-time honoree to the all-Centennial first team.

 Academically, Paulucci received a degree in biomedical engineering and posted nearly a 4.00 GPA. She is a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, two-time Capital One First Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Director of America and she placed on the CC women's soccer honor roll for three years.

Her extra-curricular activities were many: Robert Wood Johnson Hospital intern where she shadowed doctors, BME Design team member, Saint Thomas Moore church assistant, SAT tutor, volunteer trainer for U.S. Premier (N.J.) soccer camps, Lose the Shoes Grassroots soccer program and Relay for Life.

For a past list of ECAC Scholar-Athlete award recipients, please go to http://www.ecac.org/awards/scholarathletes