MEN'S LACROSSE PLAYERS SCORE ACADEMIC HONORS DURING NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

D.J. Hessler receives the Elite 88 award at the NCAA Championship banquet

MEDFORD - Playing on Sunday with a chance to win their second straight NCAA Championship on the field, members of the Tufts University men's lacrosse team have also performed well off the field this spring. Seniors Alec Bialosky (Moreland Hills, OH), D.J. Hessler (Monkton, MD), Ryan Molloy (Setauket, NY) and Matt Witko (Chappaqua, NY) received academic honors that were announced this week.

On Friday night at the NCAA Championship banquet at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Hessler was named as the recipient of the Elite 88 award for the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship. He is a biomedical engineering major.

The Elite 88, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 88 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships. Tufts plays Salisbury in the NCAA Final on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Hessler and teammates Bialosky, Molloy and Witko were announced as United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) 2011 Scholar All-America Team members. In 1989 the USILA Scholar All-America Program was established to recognize student-athletes from USILA member institutions who have distinguished themselves academically, athletically and as citizens of their communities. The USILA Selection Committee selects an overall team representing Division I, II and III.

2011 USILA Scholar All-America Team

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