(Posted December 8, 2009)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Four Juniata College fall student-athletes have been named to the Landmark Conference 2009 Fall All-Academic Team, which was announced Tuesday.

Women's soccer senior Maura Collins (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning-Painted Post West), field hockey senior Melissa Gorman (Boxborough, Mass./Acton-Boxborough), men's soccer senior Andrew Steffen (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land), and men's soccer sophomore David Grim (Boalsburg, Pa./State College Area) were among the 32 student-athletes from across the eight Landmark Conference institutions named to the team.

Collins, a unified elementary and special education major, was a senior starter and four-year mainstay in the Juniata midfield, completing her career as a member of the women's soccer team with four goals and four assists for 12 points. A three-time Landmark Academic Honor Roll and four-time Dean's List student, she currently serves as president of the Juniata Instructors of the Future. Collins is also active within the Juniata Activities Board, the student-led organization that plans events and activities on campus; she is co-chair of JAB's Madrigal Dinner committee, and chair of the committee that organizes the annual "Major Event" concert on campus.

Gorman, who is studying elementary education and Spanish, captained Juniata field hockey to its third straight Landmark Conference Championship, and third NCAA Championship berth in the past four seasons. A defender and midfielder for the Eagles, she tallied two goals and three assists for seven points over her four years and logged five defensive saves. She is a member of Pi Lambda Phi teachers' society, and is a member of Juniata Instructors of the Future. Gorman was the recipient of a Juniata scholarship for international study in education, and spent one month this past summer in an immersion program in Mexico. She has also been an assistant in Juniata's Early Childhood Education Center for the past four years.

Steffen, a management student, earned First team All-Landmark Conference honors this season, with six goals and two assists for 14 points in his final campaign â?" including four goals against conference opponents. He was a Second team All-Landmark honoree during his junior season, and is a three-time Landmark Academic Honor Roll selection. During his four years at Juniata, Steffen has completed internships with the York County (Pa.) Economic Development Corporation, as well as with Corporate University Xchange. With his faculty sponsor, Dr. Marlene Burkhardt, Professor of Economics & Business Administration, he has completed research on the social interactions of gamers; Steffen presented the results at Juniata's Liberal Arts Symposium, and Dr. Burkhardt presented the published findings at the Northeast Association of Business, Economics, and Technology conference. Steffen also writes for The Juniatian, the college's student newspaper.

Grim, who is studying political science, was third in scoring for Juniata this season with two goals and two assists for six points. He was also named to the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll. Grim is president of Juniata's Class of 2012, and serves as treasurer of the Model United Nations Club. In the community, Grim serves as a student representative to Centre County's Drug & Alcohol Planning Commission, making recommendations to county leaders on the allocation of funds to rehabilitation services, education outlets, and prevention practices. He is a member of Juniata's Sustainability Committee, and helped establish the "Clean the Cliffs Initiative" in 2008 â?" an effort to clean Huntingdon's cliffs overlooking the Juniata River and keep them in pristine condition. Grim also serves on several other Juniata committees, including the college's Honorary Degree Committee.

Two male and two female student-athletes from each of the eight Landmark Conference institutions are selected for the All-Academic Team, which honors student-athletes who have excelled athletically and academically. Nominees for the Fall All-Academic Team could compete in any of the Landmark's fall sports, and must have at least sophomore academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.

The 2009 Fall All-Academic Team contains 14 seniors, 13 juniors, and five sophomores. All four Juniata honorees are first-time selections to the All-Academic Team.

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