CAA Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
RICHMOND, Va. (March 30, 2012) - Five
student-athletes who excelled both athletically and academically have been
honored by the Colonial Athletic Association as recipients of the CAA
Scholar-Athlete Award for the winter sports season.
The conference honors one Scholar-Athlete
in each of its 23 championship sports. Nominees for the award must be a starter
or important reserve on their team and must have a minimum cumulative grade
point average of 3.25. The winners were selected by a vote of the media
relations directors at each CAA institution.
Earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors
were William & Mary senior Quinn McDowell in men's basketball,
Delaware junior Elena Delle Donne in women's basketball, William &
Mary sophomore Andrew Strait in men's swimming and diving,
Drexel junior Lauren Faykes in women's swimming and diving and Hofstra
junior Steve Bonanno in wrestling.
Here is a brief biographical sketch on the
award winners:
Quinn
McDowell, Sr., Perth, Mason, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller - William & Mary
(men's basketball)
A senior majoring in religious studies and
minoring in economics, McDowell was selected to the CAA men's basketball
All-Academic first team for the second year in a row in 2011-12. He was the
first two-time recipient of the CAA's prestigious Dean Ehlers Leadership Award
and was one of 10 finalists nationally for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. On the
court, McDowell led W&M and ranked 16th in the CAA in scoring
with 12.5 points per game this season. The two-time all-conference honoree
finished his career as one of only four players in Tribe history with more than
1,600 points and 500 rebounds. McDowell owns W&M records for most games
(126) and most minutes played (4,093) in a career.
Elena Delle Donne, Jr., Wilmington, Del./Ursuline
Academy - Delaware (women's basketball)
A junior majoring in early childhood
education with a minor in special education, Delle Donne was honored as the
Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in women's basketball. She
has made the CAA women's basketball All-Academic first team for the past two
years and is also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree. On the
court, Delle Donne was a consensus first-team All-American and is among the
finalists for several National Player of the Year awards. The Blue Hens'
guard/forward led the nation in scoring with 28.1 points per game and was third
in the CAA in rebounding (10.3 rpg). She led her team to a 31-2 overall record,
their first CAA championship, a #7 national ranking and the school's first-ever
victory in the NCAA Tournament. Delle Donne set CAA records for points (927)
and fields goals (325) in a season.
Andrew
Strait, So., Henrico, Va./Trinity Episcopal - William & Mary (men's
swimming & diving)
A
sophomore who is still undecided on a major, Strait has twice received the
Provost's Award at William & Mary for achieving a GPA over 3.5. He is a
two-time CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient. In the pool, Strait won
16 races this season and scored a team-best 303.5 points. At the 2012 CAA
Championship, Strait placed second in the 200 breaststroke (2:00.22) and second
in the 400 individual medley (3:53) and set school records in both events. He
also set a record in the 200 IM after winning the consolation finals and was
part of the Tribe's school-record 200 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay
teams. Strait achieved career-bests in nine of his 11 events this season.
Lauren
Faykes, Jr., Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East - Drexel (women's swimming
& diving)
A
junior majoring in design and merchandising, Faykes has made the Dean's List
during seven terms at Drexel. She's a two-time CAA Commissioner's Academic
Award recipient who helped Drexel earn a team Scholar All-American Award for
placing 14th out of 109 institutions. In the pool, Faykes broke the
school record in the 100 butterfly (56.88) and also set a school record in the
200 freestyle (1:51.18) at the 2012 CAA Championship, where she placed seventh
overall. She was a member of Drexel's 400 medley relay squad that shattered the
school record by more than three seconds at the CAA Championships. Faykes was
the first Drexel swimmer to ever compete at the U.S. National Championships.
Steve
Bonanno, Jr., Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh - Hofstra (wrestling)
A
junior majoring in accounting, Bonnano has twice been selected to the NWCA
All-Academic team. He has been a CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and
a member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll on multiple occasions.
Bonanno earned All-America honors after placing eighth in the 125-pound weight
class at the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championship. He posted a 31-8 record this
season, including a 14-1 mark in dual matches. Bonanno was the CAA champion at
125 pounds and finished the year ranked #12 in the nation in his weight class.
A three-time NCAA qualifier, he also posted a second-place finish at the
Binghamton Open and was third at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational.