March 24, 2011

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Senior Holly Biro and juniors Emily Heath, Eric Patenaude and Austin Thomas have been named to the Atlantic 10 Women's and Men's Swimming & Diving Academic All-Conference Teams, respectively.

The teams were selected based on voting conducted among the conference's sports information directors.

Biro, a nutrition major, broke her own school records in the 50 and 100-free at the 2011 A-10 Championships, finishing fourth in the 50-free and second in the 100-free. The senior was also part of the school record breaking 200-medley and 800-free relays at the A-10 Championships.

Heath has been the Explorers' top distance swimming this season, placing fifth in the 500-free at the 2011 A-10 Championships (4:54.29).  She was also part of the school record-breaking 800-free relay team.  A Nursing and Mathematics double major, Heath was named to the Fall 2010 A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Patenaude, a Political Science major, clocked in 10th in the 200-breast at this year's A-10 Championships.  His 2:06.91 was the second-best time in the event by an Explorer this season.

The gold medalist in the 50-free at the A-10 Championships, Thomas broke a 29 year-old school record in the event preliminaries, clocking a 20.42.  Thomas, a Marketing major, was also part of the silver-medal winning 200-medley relay (1:30.51) and touched fifth in the 100-fly (49.77) and seventh in the 100-free (45.84).

Massachusetts' Adam Duffield and Richmond's Nicole LePere were named the A-10 Men's and Women's Student-Athletes of the Year, respectively.

A full listing of Academic All-Conference Team members can be found here.