Four Hawk Runners Earn All-Academic Honors

A trio of men and one woman from the University of Hartford cross country teams were recognized for their excellence both athletically and academically with selections to the America East All-Academic teams for cross country.

The America East Conference announced Tuesday that senior Robert Giuliani and juniors John Busque and Andrew Dwyer from the men's team, and junior Megan Barry from the women's team were among the 25 student-athletes named to the academic squads.

Dwyer, also selected to the America East All-Conference team, is a junior music production and technology major, and boasts a 3.75 cumulative grade point average. He was selected to the America East All-Academic team following the 2011-12 indoor track and field season as well as earning America East Commissioner's Honor Roll status. On the track, Dwyer led the Hartford men in each of his six races. He posted four top-10 finishes, including a ninth-place finish at the conference championship meet in Durham, N.H., October 27. His finish at the conference meet earned him a spot on the America East All-Conference team and made him the first Hartford man to finish in the top 10 of the conference since 1990.

Giuliani, a senior health sciences/physical therapy major, also holds a 3.75 GPA, placing him on the America East Commissioner's honor roll. Giuliani turned in his best finish of the season at the Trinity Invitational, notching eighth place as an individual to help the Hawks to a second-place finish. The senior performed his best in big meets in 2011, posting a personal-best time of 26:42.99 on the 8k course at the New England Championship and a personal-best time of 33:14.1 on the 10,000-meter course at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship.

Busque carries an impressive 3.91 GPA as a health sciences/physical therapy major. The junior earned a spot on the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll with his work in the classroom while serving as the team's number two runner in the fall. Busque notched three top-15 finishes in his junior season, helping the Hawks to three top-five team finishes. Like Giuliani, Busque posted career-best marks at both the New England Championship and the NCAA Northeast Regional meet.

Barry, a biology major with a 3.87 GPA, also earned Commissioner's Honor Roll distinction. The junior led the Hartford women's squad in each of her six starts, including a second-place finish at the Trinity Invitational to open the season. With Barry leading the pack, the Hawks took the team title at the Trinity meet. The season-opening performance was one of three top-10 finishes for Barry, who paced the squad to three top-5 team results. Barry was at her best at the America East Championship, notching a personal-best time of 17:55.09 on the 5k course at the conference meet.

The All-Academic squads are a product of the June 2005 Athletics Directors meeting where faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference's nine member institutions decided to honor the league's top student-athletes, who excel equally in the classroom as they do on the playing field.

For the fourth straight year, America East will select the All-Academic teams using CoSIDA's Academic All-America program as a model. Student-athletes worthy of consideration are nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by a committee of SIDs, academic advisors and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.

All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time or are made up of 10 student-athletes for individual sports. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team's games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.