Aug. 12, 2010
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -
The Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) announced today its Academic All-State Team. Six George Mason student-athletes were selected to the prestigious team.
The six student-athletes from George Mason include Becky Anderson of the softball team, Brandon Bucher of the wrestling team, Richard Edgar of the men's soccer team, Eric Knight of the swimming and diving team, Angelee LaTouche of the women's basketball team and Hannah Sklar of the women's soccer team.
Each member institution, including NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, and independents, had the opportunity to submit athletes to be honored. To be eligible, student-athletes were required to have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better. The student must have achieved sophomore status, and he or she could not have been in the first season of competition at their current school.
Anderson graduated from George Mason with a bachelor's degree in accounting. A candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award this past season, Anderson earned the third All-CAA selection of her career during her senior season when she was selected Second-Team All-CAA for her performance as the Patriots' top starting pitcher.
Bucher, a rising senior on the George Mason wrestling team, was named to the 2009-10 NWCA Division I All-Academic Team. Bucher has compiled a 3.32 cumulative GPA while majoring in physical education. Wrestling at 149 pounds, Bucher qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for the first time in his career last season. The Dillsburg, Pa. native finished in third place at 149 pounds at the CAA Championships and was ranked 33rd in the final poll of the season by WrestlingReport.com.
Edgar received the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in men's soccer for the second year in a row. The senior, who majored in psychology, became the first men's soccer player from George Mason to earn First-Team Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine. He also made the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Senior All-America First-Team in 2009 and was a George Mason Scholar-Athlete Award winner. On the field, Edgar earned Second-Team All-CAA honors as a midfielder for the second year in a row.
A graduate student who is working on a master's degree in public administration, Knight received the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award multiple times throughout his career. The Centreville, Va. native graduated in 2009 with cum laude honors, earning a bachelor's degree in government. In the pool, Knight was chosen as the Outstanding Male Swimmer at the 2010 CAA Championship. He set new school, meet and pool records in winning the 100 freestyle with a time of 44.06, and set meet and program records in capturing the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:35.85.
A rising senior majoring in accounting, LaTouche earned a spot on the CAA women's basketball All-Academic First-Team in 2009-10. The Kingston, Jamaica native has also received the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award and been a member of the George Mason Athletic Director's honor roll during her career. On the floor, LaTouche started 28 games in the Patriots' frontcourt. She contributed 4.6 points per game, and led George Mason and ranked 17th in the CAA in rebounding with 6.1 boards per contest.
Sklar, who wrapped up her career at Mason last season, was named an honorable mention Academic All-Region for the East Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. This past season, she was part of a defense that allowed the second-fewest goals in a single-season in school history and tallied two assists on the season. She finished her career with a 3.67 grade-point average.
