April 2, 2009

UMass Lowell freshman guard Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) was named to the Division II Bulletin 2009 All-Freshman Team, released Thursday.

The honor is the latest for Caiola, who was named the Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Year and Second Team selection. He was one of 10 freshmen nationwide who were tabbed for the Division II Bulletin team.

Caiola helped lead the River Hawks to a 21-8 record - up from a 12-17 finish in 2007-08 - and a 16-6 clip in the NE-10, good for second place.

Caiola had averages of 14.1 points, 3.0 assists, 2.2 steals and 3.6 rebounds while shooting .379 from the 3-point range and .780 from the free throw line.

He emerged among the top guards in the NE-10, ranking among leads in four categories: steals (tied for first), free throw accuracy (ninth), scoring (10th) and 3-point accuracy (15th).

Caiola registered season-highs of 26 points in a 66-49 win at Stonehill; seven assists in a 65-59 victory over Southern New Hampshire; and seven rebounds in a 76-65 win over Le Moyne.

"This is certainly a great honor for Kyle and our program," said UML Head Coach Greg Herenda. "To be recognized as one of the top freshmen in the country speaks volumes. Kyle is very deserving - not only is he a very talented point guard but he is a fierce competitor and a winner. He works daily on improving his game and he will only continue to get bettter."

UMass Lowell returned to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time this decade, despite an 86-84 overtime loss to Merrimack in the first round.

The River Hawks return all 12 players from the 2008-09 squad next season.