April 9, 2013 - Bronx, N.Y. - For the second time in as many weeks, a governing body has recognized four members of the Fordham water polo team for outstanding efforts in the classroom in addition to their prowess in the pool. The Collegiate Water Polo Association named Patrick Lenihan, Bobby Wurtz, Dan Kearney and Davis DeFontes to its 2012 Varsity Scholar Athlete Team after the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches named those four to its All-Academic team last week.
Both organizations designate three types of academic awards based on the student athlete's grade point average: Outstanding (4.00-3.71), Superior (3.70-3.41), and Excellent (3.40-3.20).
"The ACWPC is proud to announce the 2012 Men's All-Academic Awards. This is a testament to the hard-work and determination shown everyday by student-athletes, coaches, and administrators," said Larry Sanders, the Executive Director of the ACWPC.
Kearney, a Psychology major, received All-Academic and Varsity Scholar-Athlete Team honors for the second time in his career from the ACWPC, earning "Excellent" standing. He set personal-bests this past season, netting eight goals and six assists for 14 points, while collecting 18 steals and seven blocks.
Lenihan, who plans to major in Biological Sciences, earns his first All-Academic and Varsity Scholar-Athlete Team awards in the "Superior" category. He finished fourth on the team in goal scoring as a freshman with 27 markers to go with 19 assists. He also led the team with 33 steals and 13 field blocks.
Wurtz, who plans to major in Engineering Physics, also earned his first All-Academic and Varsity Scholar-Athlete Team awards in the "Superior" category. He contributed heavily as a freshman as well this season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points. He also added 18 steals and seven blocks.
DeFontes has yet to decide on a major course of study, but still received his first All-Academic and Varsity Scholar-Athlete Team awards in the "Excellent" category. The freshman was one of the Rams' top scorers in the two-meter area, netting 28 goals, which tied for second on the team, and added 24 assists, which tied for first on the squad.
In addition to these individual awards, the Fordham team as a whole earned recognition from the CWPA, ranking as one of 12 squads in the association with a team GPA of 2.75 or higher.
