Chris McGuiness, Sonny Meade Named Academic All-District First Team by ESPN the Magazine
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Citadel’s Chris McGuiness and Sonny Meade were honored Friday by ESPN the Magazine as they were named Academic All-District by the national publication. Both cadet-student-athletes were named to the 11-member First Team for District III, which encompasses North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Florida.
McGuiness has a 3.92 cumulative grade point average as a junior and is currently pursuing a business administration degree. Meade will participate in the commencement exercises for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets on Saturday, graduating from The Citadel with a 3.83 grade point average with a degree in business administration.
By virtue of being named First Team Academic All-District, both cadet-student-athletes are automatically nominated for Academic All-America honors. Academic All-District and Academic All-America honors are determined by a vote of the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
In 2008, The Citadel’s Chris Swauger received Second Team Academic All-America honors. The Citadel has had 12 Academic All-America honors received since 1971 with Swauger being honored in both 2007 and 2008. McGuiness received Academic All-District honors last season.
Towarnicky Earns First-Team Academic All-District Honors
BOONE, N.C. ? Appalachian State University baseball first baseman David Towarnicky (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) has earned ESPN The Magazine first-team academic all-district recognition from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the organization announced on Thursday.
Towarnicky carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a junior double-majoring in banking and finance and risk insurance management with a minor in international business.
On the field, he is a three-year starter at first base and serves as the clean-up hitter for this season’s 28-17 Appalachian club . In 43 games this year, Towarnicky is batting .307 with three home runs and 30 RBI. He also boasts one of the Southern Conference’s top gloves with only three errors in 411 chances at first base, good for a sterling .993 fielding percentage.
Towarnicky is one of 11 first-team honorees from District 3, which includes all Division I institutions in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The honorees are selected by a vote of CoSIDA members in the district. First-team selections from all eight CoSIDA districts are placed on a nationwide ballot for the ESPN The Magazine academic all-America teams, which will be announced later this month.
Towarnicky and the Mountaineers, winners of nine-straight games and 22 of their past 25, travel to UNC Greensboro for a three-game SoCon series this weekend. Game times are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at UNCG Baseball Stadium.