July 18, 2008
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - 2008 graduates Gregory Clement (Dallas, Texas) and Dan Decker (Randallstown, Md.) were among the eight Navy men's lacrosse players who were recently named to the 2008 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Academic Honor Roll. Five of the eight Navy representatives are first-time selections.
Though Clement had seen limited action his first three seasons, he flourished in his senior campaign where he was a starter on attack in all 16 contests. He finished the season as the Mids' fourth-leading scorer with 19 points on 14 goals and five assists and included a pair of game-winners. Off the field, he earned mention on the Commandant's List after turning in a 3.25 grade-point average in systems engineering.
Decker, one of two Navy lacrosse players to turn in a 4.00 GPA in the spring, graduated in May with a degree in systems engineering and was enrolled in the honors program throughout his stay in Annapolis. Ranked 31st in his class of over 1,000 students, Decker posted a 3.94 cumulative GPA which included six semesters of a 4.00 GPA and was the 2008 recipient of the W.H.G. FitzGerald Scholarship. He was named to the Superintendent's and Commandant's List eight times. He graduated No. 1 in his class in military order of merit and combined with his academic success, he was ranked 10th in overall order of merit. On the playing field, Decker saw action in nine games as a faceoff specialist where he took 36 draws, winning 47.2 percent.
Rising seniors Bobby Lennon (Westminster, Md.) and Thomas Zimmerman (Owings Mills, Md.) have each earned a spot on the league's honor roll in previous years. Lennon is making his second appearance after finishing the spring with a 3.63 GPA?in history. He has been named to the Superintendent's and Dean's Lists twice, while earning Commandant's mention four times. Zimmerman, meanwhile, is a three-time member of the academic honor roll. He posted a 3.83 GPA in ocean engineering in the spring and owns a 3.55 GPA during his three years at the Academy. He was named to the Dean's List both semesters of his junior year, while receiving mention on the Superintendent's List once and Commandant's List four times since his arrival. He stands 196th in academic order of merit among his class of nearly 1,100 students.
Lennon and Zimmerman are both members of Navy's nationally-ranked defensive unit which led the country in scoring defensive for the greater part of the season in 2008. After leading the country for seven consecutive weeks, Navy's scoring defense ended the season ranked No. 3 in the nation. The Mids' opponents averaged 8.38 goals per game. It's the fifth straight season the Mids' defense has been ranked in the top three and the eighth time in the last nine years it has been among the top five. Navy held eight of its 16 opponents to five or fewer goals and owned an 8-0 record when achieving the feat.
Three additional members of Navy's defensive unit who garnered academic kudos were rising senior Andy Tormey (Syracuse, N.Y.), rising junior Jaren Woeppel (Camillus, N.Y.) and rising sophomore Tom Mansfield (Port Washington, N.Y.), all three first-time honor roll selections. Tormey, a first-year starter on close defense, posted a 3.35 GPA in American Politics and Law, while Woeppel, a 2008 Second-Team All-Patriot League selection as a long stick defensive midfielder, turned in a 3.25 GPA in economics. Woeppel was also named to the Commandant's List in both semesters of the 2007-08 academic year. Mansfield, who saw limited time in his rookie campaign (four games), earned a 3.63 GPA in economics in just his second semester at the Academy. He was named to both the Dean's List and the Commandant's List during the spring semester.
The final member of the academic honor roll was rising junior Joe Lennon (Westminster, Md.) who enjoyed a successful season both on and off the playing field. After seeing action in just one game as a freshman, Lennon stepped into a starting role on the first midfield where he scored 11 goals and added six assists. Meanwhile, he capped off his sophomore season by posting a 4.00 GPA?in the spring and boosted his cumulative GPA to a 3.60. In his two years at Navy, he has been named to the Commandant's List three times, while earning mention on the Dean's and Superintendent's Lists once.
To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must be a varsity letterwinner, while maintaining a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester. Student-athletes representing all four classes are eligible for the award.
### Go Navy ###
