Anderson Named Academic All-America

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Junior Mark Anderson (Hastings, Neb.) of the Colgate University men's hockey team has been selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Men's At-Large Third Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced on Tuesday, June 10.

Anderson is one of 17 student-athletes from across the country on the third team, and is one of 48 student-athletes who earned Academic All-America status for the men's at-large program in the university division. He joins the men's soccer team's Daniel Kerley (Leawood, Kan.) on an Academic All-America team this season, giving Colgate its first pair of Academic All-Americans in one academic year since 1997-98.

Click here for complete list as a PDF

Anderson is the first Raider hockey player to earn Academic All-America status since Steve Smith, who achieved the feat in 1983 and 1984, and is only the second student-athlete in Colgate hockey history to be honored as an Academic All-American.

A cellular neuroscience major, Anderson owns a 3.81 cumulative grade-point average, including a 4.00 GPA for the fall 2007 semester. He was one of three finalists for the 2008 ECAC Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, and was the only underclassman among the finalists. As a freshman, he received Colgate's Haskell Schiff Memorial Prize for excellence in physical chemistry, and is a two-time recipient of the Charles A. Dana award. A three-time recipient of the Dean's Award, Anderson is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, the national freshman honor society. Anderson has already been accepted to medical school at George Washington University through the school's early assurance program, and plans to pursue a career in sports medicine.

On the ice, Anderson skated in 37 games this season, and finished second among Colgate defensemen in scoring with five goals and nine assists for 14 points. His +14 rating for the year ranked second overall among the Raiders, and he had two game-winning goals and a shorthanded goal as a junior. For his career, Anderson has 27 points on seven goals and 20 assists in 92 games. He has been active in his team's charitable efforts, and has helped the Raiders raise more than $11,000 for charity over the last two years.

To be eligible for the Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must possess a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale, achieved sophomore standing both athletically and academically, and be a starter or key reserve on his or her team. The men's and women's at-large programs are open to student-athletes from a variety of sports, including hockey, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, water polo, men's volleyball, and wrestling. Academic All-America teams are voted on by members of CoSIDA's Academic All-America committee.