Four Swarthmore Student-Athletes Named Academic All-Stars
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Swarthmore soccer player Cait Mullarkey '09 (Wilmington, Del. / Ursuline Academy) was named the 2007 Philadelphia Inquirer Women's Soccer Academic Performer of the Year while Ladule Lako Lo Sarah '09 (Davis, Calif. / Claremont), Natalie Stone '09 (Philadelphia, Pa. / Friends Select) and Ryan Sutcliffe '08 (Milford, Del. / Milford) were also selected Academic All-Area for their respective sports.
In order to be eligible for the All-Star team, an athlete must be of sophomore athletic standing, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better, and be a starter or key reserve. Ballots for the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Star Teams, which sponsored seven teams (men's cross country, women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball) this fall, were compiled and voted upon by the 28 Philadelphia-Area Sports Information Directors Association (Philly-SIDA).
Mullarkey led a Garnet defense that set four Centennial records this season including 13 shutouts—the team finished third in all of Division III with a 0.301 goals-against average. The Garnet women’s soccer team made their second consecutive appearance in the Centennial Conference playoffs and capped the season with the program’s first-ever ECAC Southern Division III Championship. For the third consecutive year, Mullarkey was a All-Centennial first-team selection—she is the first Swarthmore soccer player (only fourth defender in Centennial history) to accomplish the feat. The team posted a 14-2-3 record overall and spent five weeks with a national ranking, the first-ever in program history, peaking at #18 in the NSCAA/adidas poll.
Mullarkey is the fifth Swarthmore student-athlete (first female) to receive Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Performer of the Year. She joins Vernon Chaplin ’07 (cross country), Reuben Heyman-Kantor ’06 (men’s soccer), Frank Mazzucco ’08 (men’s lacrosse) and Eric Zwick ’07 (golf).
Lako Lo Sarah, a forward on the men’s soccer team, made the All-Centennial team for the first time after a break-out campaign in 2007. He led the Garnet with career-highs in points (18) and goals (eight), finishing ninth in the Centennial for goals scored (four of Lako Lo Sarah’s goals were game-winners). His efforts through-out the season helped the Garnet win their first-ever ECAC Division III Southern Region Men's Soccer Championship.
Stone, an economics major, led the field hockey team in goals score (nine) and points (18). The forward finished her season tied for 15th in most goals scored in the Centennial. Stone posted her second career hat-trick on Sept. 11 in a 5-1 win over Richard Stockton.
Sutcliffe, the starting goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team was selected All-Centennial for the first time (he made the second team). The senior net-minder had a 9-3-3 record in 2007, ranking in the top-five in the Conference in shutouts (seven) and goals-against average (0.79). Sutcliffe was named Centennial Defensive Player of the Week and Division III E.C.A.C. South Region Defensive Player of the Week on two separate occasions, as well as appearing on the D3Kicks.com Team of the Week.
Mullarkey, Stone and Sutcliffe were also selected for the 2007 Fall Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll. To be named to the CC Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes must be a sophomore or higher in class standing and a starter or key reserve on her team. The student must maintain at least a 3.40 cumulative grade-point average.
Mullarkey and Sutcliffe were selected to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II soccer team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Sutcliffe was a first-team selection and Mullarkey made the third team.