LOWELL, MA (Feb. 12, 2008) – Senior Joey DeWitt (Ellsworth, ME) was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II All-Academic Cross Country Team for the third straight year and led four teammates earning the same honors, the USTFCCCA announced Tuesday.

One of four UML athletes who repeated the honor, DeWitt joined senior Amanda Sousa (Peabody, MA) and juniors Ruben Sanca (Boston, MA) and Sarah Merullo (Wakefield, MA), each a two-time recipient; as well as junior Jason DeDonato (Nashua, NH), who made his first appearance on the team.

To be eligible, student-athletes must be of sophomore standing, maintain a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and finish among the top 30 percent at the NCAA Northeast Region Championship.

The UML men and women’s teams both enjoyed stellar seasons last fall, both placing second at the NCAA Northeast Region Championship. The River Hawk men shared the Northeast-10 Conference team title with Stonehill while the women finished as runners-up.

At the NCAA Championship, UML placed 13th overall while the women took 21st, both tops among Northeast Region teams.

DeWitt, who has maintained a 3.426 as a criminal justice major, highlighted the 2007 cross country season with an eighth-place finish (32.40.9, 10K) at the NCAA Northeast Region Championship, earning him All-Northeast Region honors for the second straight year.

The honor is the latest of many for DeWitt in his UML career. He is also a three-time Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic standout, earning his most recent honor in November.

Sousa, who sports a 3.444 in exercise physiology, placed 10th at the NCAA Regional (23:35.0, 5K) and earned regional all-star honors for the second straight year. The finish was among several feats this season for Sousa, who earned NE-10 all-star status for the second straight year and earned a spot on the NE10 All-Academic Team a third successive year.

Sanca, UML’s first cross country All-American since 2004, has also been a star in the classroom with a 3.426 in business administration. In what has been a magnificent season, Sanca placed third (32:08.1) at the NCAA Regional to book his place on the Northeast Region all-star team for the third straight year; and went on to place 22nd at the NCAA Championship (31.13.7).

Sanca has also won a slew of academic honors, having been named to the NE-10 All-Academic Team twice in addition to the USTFCCCA team.

Merullo, who has a 3.455 in nursing, highlighted the year with a 28th-place finish at the Northeast Regional (24:36.7), which followed a 34th-place effort at the NE-10 Championship.

DeDonato leads UML’s USTFCCCA academic contingent with a 3.528 in health education. He saved his best for last this season, placing 16th at the NCAA Regional (one place shy of All-Northeast honors) and helping guide the River Hawks to 13th at the NCAA Championship by placing 72nd in 32:45.2.

Along with his USTFCCCA honor, DeDonato also made his first appearance on the NE-10 All-Academic Second Team last fall.