assumption college SPORTS INFORMATION
more information: steve morris, s.i.d., 508-767-7240
monday, august 9, 2004

GREYHOUNDS' JAMES NEWMAN WINS
E.C.A.C. ROBBINS SCHOLAR AWARD

JAMES NEWMAN IN ACTION

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Junior standout tennis player JAMES NEWMAN (Johannesburg, South Africa/Damelin) has been named the winner of the prestigious Robbins Scholar-Athlete Award as the premier Division II male student-athlete by the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

Sponsored by Robbins Sports Surfaces, the Cincinnati-based sports surfaces company, the award honors the outstanding academic and athletics achievements of student-athletes representing E.C.A.C. schools in Divisions I, II and III. One male and one female athlete from each division have been selected by three committees comprised of athletics administrators. Votes are based on extraordinary achievements in academics, athletics and community service.

The honorees will be presented with the E.C.A.C. Robbins Scholar-Athlete Awards during the E.C.A.C. Fall Convention Honors Dinner presented by Jostens Sunday, September 26.

Newman, who was named a third-team CoSIDA academic all-American as selected by the nation's Sports Information Directors earlier this summer, is the first junior to win the award.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her Faculty Athletic Representative.  

In his amazing career Newman has posted a singles record of 38-8 and a doubles record of 43-5. He has never lost a match against Northeast-10 Conference opposition---29-0 in singles and 33-0 in doubles! He was 12-0 (10-0) in singles and 15-0 (13-0) in the doubles this past season and served as a team captain as the Greyhounds won the conference title for the sixth consecutive year --both regular-season and post-season. They advanced to the N.C.A.A. East regional final for the third consecutive year---winning the 2002 final.

The team also extended its amazing unbeaten streak in conference play to an amazing 76 straight this past season.

The 23-year-old Newman is the first triple major in the College's 100-year history. The Accounting, Finance and Philosophy student, who carries a 3.91 grade-point average, is also studying the intense Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) curriculum on his own and has passed the first of three brutal exams. He's is also a Mensa member.

"James is the bench mark for the academic athlete at Assumption," said Coach John Ippolito. "I say academic athlete because as phenomenal an athlete as he is, he's just above and beyond academically. He has set the standards for academics here."

The Greyhounds open their fall tennis schedule with the Assumption College Singles Invitational, September 11-12.