6/9/2009
Towson, Md.----Wingate University senior defense Evan Schaller (Kirkville, N.Y.) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® men’s at-large second team (college division), selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). An Accounting major and an English minor with a 3.84 GPA, Schaller earns ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors for the first time in his illustrious Bulldog career.
The men’s at-large program for Academic All-America® includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Schaller is the first Wingate lacrosse student-athlete to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® men’s at-large laurels.
Wingate tennis standouts Patrick Bartlett and Marius Dan are the only other Bulldogs to secure a spot on the Academic All-America® men’s at-large teams. Bartlett is a three-time honoree (third team in 1998, second team in 1999 and 2000), while Dan earned second team honors following his senior season (2004).
“I am thrilled to see Evan receive this honor,” Wingate head lacrosse coach Sonny Ziegler says. “He has worked so hard over the past four years to be the best both on the field and in the classroom.”
Evan Schaller is the only NCAA Division II lacrosse student-athlete to make the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® college division men’s at-large team this year. Schaller completes a rare triple play with this announcement, as he was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association NCAA Division II All-America second team in May. In addition, the USILA picked the four-year Bulldog starter as a member of the organization’s 2009 Scholar All-America team.
“NCAA Division II lacrosse is growing,” Schaller acknowledges. “I think sometimes Division II lacrosse does not have the best reputation (in national circles). Division III has three times as many schools (playing lacrosse), while Division I is the best of the best. I am honored to represent NCAA Division II lacrosse on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® men’s at-large team.”
Schaller is quick to credit his parents (and others) for his academic and athletic success. “I started taking honors classes in middle school,” Schaller recalls. “I remember sitting down with my parents…and talking with them about the extra work it would take to achieve high marks. I was looking for a challenge; I wanted to do the very best I could.”
On the lacrosse field, Schaller led the 2009 Bulldogs with 63 ground balls. The cornerstone of the Wingate defense also posted one goal and two assists during the 2009 campaign. Schaller is a two-time All-Deep South Conference choice.
In 2008, Schaller had a career-high 96 ground balls as he helped the Bulldogs post an 11-3 overall record. Wingate allowed only 8.20 goals per game in 2008, ninth in the NCAA in scoring defense.
Schaller was named to the All-DSC tournament team in 2007 and 2008. During his Bulldog career, Schaller and his teammates won 40 games. Wingate has won or shared the Deep South Conference regular season title in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The Bulldogs won the DSC tournament crown in 2007.
Outside the lacrosse arena, Schaller served as a tutor and a manager in Wingate’s Academic Resource Center, helping run the center and tutoring students in accounting, production management and religion. A member of the Delta Mu Delta and Alpha Chi honor societies, Schaller spent the fall 2007 semester in London as part of the University’s Wingate-in-London program.
“During my time as a tutor in the Academic Resource Center, I wanted to help (fellow students) gain confidence in their accounting classes,” Schaller says. “Many times, accounting lingo is similar to a foreign language for newcomers. It feels good when you see a student succeed.”
Schaller served as a peer mentor during the fall 2008 semester, assisting Wingate University freshmen as they made the transition from high school to college. Schaller has also participated in the Up ‘til Dawn fund-raiser to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital.
Since January 1, 2000, Wingate University has produced 32 Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with its 32 honorees during this millennium.
Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during the aforementioned time frame. Wingate’s 41 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among schools affiliated with the South Atlantic Conference and the Deep South Conference.
The Academic All-America® program annually honors over 1600 student-athletes who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America® honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA. The program covers all NCAA championship sports.
Student-athletes selected for Academic All-America® honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. He must possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale). He must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at his institution. Student-athletes are nominated by their sports information directors.
ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,129 students, offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, international study, faith development, career discovery and community service.
Wingate offers 40 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physical education, physician assistant studies, sport administration and the doctor of pharmacy degree.
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past three years.