WildCats' Standout Joins Calvin's Verkaik as National Honoree
TOWSON, Md. --- Senior guard Colton Hunt of Randolph College and senior center Carissa Verkaik of Calvin College lead the 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Men's and Women's Basketball Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Hunt and Verkaik have been chosen as the NCAA Division III Academic All-America® of the Year award winners for men's and women's basketball, respectively.
The Capital One Division II and III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2012-13 DII and DIII Academic All-America® teams program.
Hunt, a Capital One Academic All-America® third team honoree last season, leads the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and ranks third in Division III in scoring at 25.8 points per game.
An economics major with a 3.94 G.P.A., Hunt is a four-time ODAC Player of the Week this season and a two-time D3Hoops.com National Team of the Week honoree. He also averages 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. A native of Whittier, N.C., Hunt is a two-time All-ODAC first team selection and a 2012-13 D3Hoops.com Preseason All-American. Last season, he became the first male student-athlete at Randolph to be named to a Capital One Academic All-America® program.
Hunt, who is already the all-time scoring leader in school history, led Randolph to a 15-14 record and the ODAC championship game as junior. The second-leading rebounder in the program history, he already owns the school records for career assists and steals. As a senior, he has led the WildCats to a 20-4 record.
Verkaik, a Capital One Academic All-America® third team honoree last year, is averaging 19.8 points per game. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association scoring leader, she ranks 19th in NCAA Division III.
An elementary education major with a 3.76 G.P.A., Verkaik is a two-time D3hoops.com Great Lakes Region Player of the Year and a 2012 DIII News Player of the Year who averages 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. A native of Holland, Mich., Verkaik is a three-time MIAA Most Valuable Player and three-time first-team All-MIAA honoree. She is the MIAA's career scoring leader.
As a senior, she has led No. 3 Calvin to a 22-2 record. Last year, the Knights finished the season with a 28-2 record and reached the NCAA quarter-finals. Recently, she became just the second player to score more than 1,000 points in league games. Verkaik is Calvin's career leader in scoring (2,172 points) and blocked shots (428) and is tied for first on the Calvin career list in rebounds (1,034).
To read the complete Capital One Division II and III Academic All-America® release and view the entire set of men's and women's honorees, click HERE.
For more information on Randolph, visit the WildCats website at www.randolphwildcats.com. You can also go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.
--- This release is courtesy of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). ---
www.cosida.com