April 25, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, PA -­­­ La Salle men's basketball player Yves Mekongo Mbala and women's swimmer Shannon Duval have been named Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Stars by the Philadelphia-Area Sports Information Director's Association (Philly-SIDA). 

 

Mekongo Mbala was also named to the AAA Scholar-Athlete Team by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).  A native of Cameroon, the sophomore compiled a grade point average of 3.82 as an Integrated Science, Business and Technology (ISBT) major, while starting all 32 games for the Explorers. He was the team's fourth-leading scorer with 8.3 points per game and second-leading rebounder with 6.0 boards per game and earned Atlantic 10 All-Academic team honors for the 2007-08 season.

Duval earned A-10 All-Academic team honors this year, along with A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.  An accounting major, she maintained a 3.88 overall GPA.  The sophomore earned a trio of top-10 finishes at the 2008 A-10 Swimming Championships.    She won bronze in the 200-yard backstroke (2:19.56), while placing fourth in the 400-yard IM (4:30.16) and sixth in the 200-yard IM (2:06.44).  She was also a part of the 200-yard medley relay team that set a school record, finishing in 1:48.01.  At the conclusion of the regular season, Duval ranked in the top five in the conference in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke, as well as the 200 and 400-yard IM.  

In order to be eligible for the All-Area team, an athlete must be of at least sophomore athletic standing, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, and be a starter or key reserve. Ballots for the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Teams, which sponsored six teams this winter were compiled and voted upon by the 28 Philadelphia-Area Sports Information Directors Association (Philly-SIDA).