After impressive performances to begin the year 2012, senior diver Derrick Butts and junior women's basketball player Amber Easter have been recognized as George Mason's Student-Athletes of the Month for January.

Butts won five out of the six events he competed in last month and also took home the CAA Male Diver of the Week award after each of his three competitions.  On January 14^th, he finished first in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, helping Mason to a victory over Towson, 205-93. In the 1-meter Butts posted a score of 346.58 and a mark of 331.28 in the 3-meter event.  On January 21^st, Butts helped Mason defeat American, 198-101, by posting a score of 322.85 in the 1-meter dive. Most recently, on January 28^th, the senior led Mason to a defeat of George Washington, 162-127, with scores of 374.62 in the 1-meter and 409.12 in the 3-meter. Both scores were season-highs in the CAA this year.  Butts has now tallied 15 total wins so far this season as well as eight CAA Male Diver of the Week awards.

Easter averaged 12.2 points per game while recording 24 assists, 12 steals and seven blocks during the month of January. The Hampton, Va., native posted two double-doubles in the month with 13 points and 11 rebounds at William and Mary and 21 points and 12 rebounds against Towson. The junior set career-highs in scoring and assists with her 21 points and six helpers against the Tigers and matched her career-high in three-pointers at William and Mary with three en route to her third double-double of the season. Easter followed her six assist performance against Towson with six at Old Dominion and closed the month with five straight games scoring in double figures.

Butts and Easter join other award winners in men's basketball's Ryan Pearson and women's basketball's Taleia Moton (November), women's soccer's Tiana Kallenberger and men's diver Derrick Butts (October) along with women's volleyball's Kelsey Bohman and men's soccer's Taylor Morgan (September).