May 11, 2006
Duquesne University baseball players senior Steve Maiolo (Pittsburgh, PA/Mt. Lebanon), junior Derek Mechling (Homer City, PA/Homer Center) and junior Alex Sharick (Lower Burrell, PA/Burrell) have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II Team as voted on by the district's sports information directors, leading all teams in the district with honorees. The trio will now be placed on the national ballot.
Maiolo, a secondary education/citizenship major with a 3.94 grade point average, collects his second Academic All-District honor in as many years. A Third Team National honoree and Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year in 2005, he has started all 47 games for the Dukes this season and holds the school record for most consecutive starts with 151. Maiolo is batting .267 for the Red and Blue with 28 runs scored and 18 RBI.
Mechling leads the Dukes in batting with a .352 average and leads the Atlantic 10 Conference with 21 doubles. Starting at catcher in 44 games this season, he has also hit five home runs, drove in 31 runs and stolen 12 bases. In the classroom, Mechling boasts a 3.63 gpa as a political science major.
Sharick has contributed to the Dukes on the mound and at the plate this season. As a designated hitter, left fielder and reserve catcher he has registered 17 hits, 12 runs scored and 12 RBI and as a pitcher, he has notched a win and two saves, while posting a 5.86 ERA, good for second best on the team. Sharick is a mathematics major with a 3.83 gpa.
To be eligible for this award, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. He must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon on the national level. CoSIDA has been selecting Academic All-America teams since 1952. CoSIDA's District II covers Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
District 2 WinnersUniversity DivisionFIRST TEAMPitcher Joe Cummings MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY II Sr. Toms River, N.J. 3.60 Criminal JusticePitcher Joe Koessler U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY II Sr. Knoxville, Tenn. 3.57 Mechanical EngineeringCatcher Derek Mechling DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY II Jr. Homer City, PA 3.63 Political ScienceInfield Matt Capece BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY II Sr. Bowie, Md. 3.68 Civil and Environmental EngineeringInfield Steve Maiolo DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY II Sr. Pittsburgh, PA 3.94 Secondary Education / CitizenshipInfield Brent Mason MARSHALL UNIVERSITY II Sr. Sherwood, Ark. 3.71 Business ManagementInfield Chris Brannan BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY II Sr. Huntington Beach, Calif. 3.74 EconomicsOutfield Lance Thompson PENN STATE UNIVERSITY II Sr. Brisbin, Pa. 3.41 Life ScienceOutfield James Conrad LAFAYETTE COLLEGE II Jr. Columbia, Md. 3.72 MathematicsOutfield Joey Boaen PENNSYLVANIA, UNIVERSITY OF II Jr. Savannah, Ga. 3.50 EconomicsUtility Alex Sharick DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY II Jr. Lower Burrell, PA 3.83 Mathematics
