Thursday, May 29, 2003

USM's Darryl Whitney Named to Verizon Academic Team

	GORHAM, Maine  --  Senior Darryl Whitney (Hudson, N.H.) of the University of 
Southern Maine Huskies men's cross country and track and field program has been 
named to the 2003 Verizon Academic District One College Division Men's Cross 
Country/Track and Field Team as selected by the College Sports Information 
Directors of America (CoSIDA).  The District One team was announced Thursday.
	Athletes named to the academic district first team in each of the eight 
CoSIDA districts advance to the Verizon National Academic All-America ballot.
	Whitney is the first member of the USM men's cross country/track and field 
program to be named to the Verizon Academic District One team.  He is the third 
USM student-athlete to receive Verizon Academic District One honors this spring.  
Senior shortstop Sarah McLean (Portsmouth, R.I.) was named to the softball first 
team while senior pole vaulter Amy Swanberg (Lamoine, Maine) was named to the 
women's cross country/track and field second team.
	This past winter, Whitney became the first USM male track athlete to qualify 
for the NCAA indoor track and field championships, competing in the 1500-meter 
run.  He reached the finals where he set a school record with his time of 3:55.95 
to place ninth.
	The holder of seven school records (five indoor and two outdoors) and part of 
two record indoor relays, Whitney has been a Dean's List student every semester he 
attended USM since transferring from Liberty University in the middle of his 
freshman year.  He graduated this spring with a degree in exercise physiology and 
a 3.95 cumulative grade point average.
	During his stellar career, Whitney set school indoor records at 800 meters 
(1:56.72), 1,000 meters (2:29.58), 1500 meters, mile (4:14.92), and 5,000 meters 
(15:11.75).  He holds the outdoor records at 800 meters (1:58.40) and in the 
3,000-meter steeplechase (9:36.54).  He also was the cross country team's top 
runner the past two seasons.
	This past year, Whitney earned All-New England Alliance honors in cross 
country, All-New England Alliance accolades in the 800 and 1500 meters, All-ECAC 
honors in the 1500, and All-State recognition in the 1,000 meters during the 
indoor season, and All-Alliance citations in the 800 and 1500 meters and All-ECAC 
and Division III All-New England honors in the steeplechase outdoors.


                2003 Verizon Academic District I College Division
                      Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Team
     as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)

Name              Sport           School         Year  GPA/Major
Sharath Alampur   Track & Field   Rensselaer      Jr   4.0/Math & Computer Science
Jeff Banks        Track & Field   Rensselaer      Gr   4.0/Applied Mathematics
Steve Money       Cross Country   Vassar          Sr   3.80/International Studies
Jon Notary        Cross Country/  Springfield     Sr   3.91/Business Management
                  Track & Field
Mike Notary       Cross Country/  Springfield     Sr   3.93/Business Management
                  Track & Field        
Ryan Quiller      Track & Field   Rensselaer      Sr   4.0/Math & Physics
Karl Remsen       Cross Country/  Williams        Sr   3.89/Math
                  Track & Field
Brian Strandberg  Track & Field   U Rochester     Sr   3.9/Applied Mathematics & Optics
Justin Sukiennik  Cross Country/  Colby           Sr   3.84/Mathematics & Chemistry
                  Track & Field        
Darryl Whitney    Cross Country/  Southern Maine  Sr   3.95/Exercise Physiology
                  Track & Field

NOTE: First Team selections advance to the Verizon National Academic All-America 
ballot.