Five Harford Community College Fighting Owls were recognized for their academic excellence with an award from the most prestigious collegiate committee of academics in the nation. These fall student-athletes earned Capital One Academic All-District honors from CoSIDA.
Men's soccer's Kevin Connelly; Audrey Baldwin, Alex Kaputsos and Becky McManus of the women's soccer program; and volleyball's Abby Stevens were named to the Academic All-District Team for District 34. They were five of 16 junior college student-athletes named on the prestigious list among fall student-athletes.
Connelly was a sophomore defender on the most successful men's soccer team in program history. The Fighting Owls won the regular season conference title with an 11-0-1 Maryland JUCO mark and a 14-4-1 overall record, both program bests. Connelly earned a 3.92 grade-point average in business administration while achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semesters of 2010 and 2011.
Baldwin earned NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore goalie for the No. 4 women's soccer team last month. She totaled 15 wins between the pipes as the Fighting Owls finished fourth at the 2011 NJCAA Championships, the highest finish in school history. She earned a 3.81 GPA in business administration with a 4.0 GPA in the fall 2011 semester.
Kaputsos was second on the team in goals with six as a sophomore defender. She was also part of 20 shutouts in her two-year career at Harford. She achieved a 3.92 grade-point average in nursing while achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall and spring semesters of 2011.
McManus scored 14 goals as a Fighting Owl forward, helping the team win 30 contests in her career. She had a 4.0 GPA during the fall 2010 semester while totaling a 3.66 GPA in an undeclared major.
Stevens helped the volleyball team reach the NJCAA District Tournament for the first time in school history as a sophomore defensive specialist. She posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring 2011 semester while totaling a 3.70 overall GPA with an undeclared major.
To be eligible for the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America or All-District Team, a student-athlete must be a sophomore who is a starter or important reserve while achieving a 3.30 cumulative GPA.