June 30, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - Four La Salle University student-athletes - Chris Butera, Men's Tennis; Lauren Corkery, Women's Rowing; Joe Hughes, Men's Rowing; and Billy Rhea, Men's Track - have been named Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area in their respective sports, it was announced and could be seen in the sports section of Sunday's newspaper.
Butera, a junior from Mason, OH, earns this selection after also being named to the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team. The accounting major has a 3.81 overall GPA and led the Explorers this year with 13 victories in singles play. He was one of six named to the All-Area Men's Tennis Team, and had the second-highest GPA among those selected.
Corkery, from Upper Dublin, PA, is a psychology major with a 3.73 GPA, and is a six-time A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll member. The junior was one of 10 rowers named to the All-Area Rowing team that compiled an impressive 3.76 overall GPA. She rowed in the Varsity 8, which placed third in the Petite Final at the A-10 Championships and won gold at the President's Cup.
Hughes, out of Doylestown, PA, is one of nine named to the All-Area Men's Rowing squad, and is just one of two sophomores named to the team. The Digital Art major holds a 3.60 GPA, and had made the La Salle Dean's List all four semesters at the school. For the second straight season, he rowed on the Varsity 8 and does work with the environmental group - Clean Water Action.
Rhea, a graduate student from Rockville, MD, continues to pile on the accolades this spring. With this selection to the All-Area Men's Track team, he now has four honors this year during the Outdoor Track season. He was named the A-10's Student Athlete of the Year and A-10 All-Academic, and was also a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-District First Team selection as well as being named La Salle's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. The integrated science and business technology major who maintains a 3.54 GPA, picked up three golds at the A-10 Outdoor Track Championships and also competed in two events at the NCAA East Regionals.
The Philadelphia Inquirer honored 101 athletes on 11 teams this spring - Baseball, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Rowing, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track, and Golf. They were chosen in balloting by the sports information offices of the 28 area institutions from the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
