Castillo Named to Academic All-District First Team
Moves on to National Ballot for Academic All-America Consideration

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- Recently graduated Lycoming women’s tennis player Josemar Castillo (Maracaibo, Venzuela/Muncy) continued to stuff her personal award shelves on Thursday afternoon.  Through a district-wide voting process, Castillo was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District II First Team, making her eligible for the national ballot and Academic All-America consideration.

The Academic All-America program honors more than 800 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA (the College Sports Information Directors of America), a 2,000 member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Since the end of the 2006 academic year, Castillo has enjoyed a plethora of prestigious awards including two of the most coveted by Lycoming students.  At the 2006 Honors Convocation, Castillo was honored with the Chieftain Award as the senior who contributed the most to Lycoming through leadership, academics, College involvement, and good moral character.

The two-time All-Freedom Conference selection also garnered the Pocahontas Award as the top female athlete for the 2005-06 seasons.  A conference first team selection in 2005 and a second team honoree in 2003, Castillo was a member of the Freedom Conference champion Lady Warriors in 2002 playing #3 singles her freshman season.  During her four years in blue and gold, she accumulated a 22-14 singles record and a 19-14 doubles mark.

The Middle Atlantic Conference also recognized Castillo’s star power as she was voted the 2006 MAC Scholar Athlete for women’s tennis.  She was named to the Middle Atlantic Conference All-Academic Team in 2003, 2004, and 2005, and was also honored with a 2005 National ITA Scholar Athlete Award (NCAA Division III).

Castillo was on the Lycoming College Dean’s List each semester since the fall of 2002.  She was honored with the Ada Remley Memorial Scholarship for academic excellence and service to the College and the community.  She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi collegiate honor society, was vice president of the Gamma Sigma Epsilon chemistry honor society and treasurer of the Kappa Mu Epsilon mathematics honor society.  In 2004, she was awarded with the Fundamentals of Physics Award given to the student who has achieved the highest overall grade based on a cumulative score from exams, homework, and laboratory work in selected physics courses.

In April 2005, Castillo was presented with an IRUSKA Honor Society Award for outstanding contributions to campus life in one or more student activities.  She was a resident advisor for the past three years, a tutor in Spanish, Physics, and Chemistry, and a member of several other campus organizations including the Multicultural Awareness Group, Black Student Union, Chemistry Club (vice president), Association of Mathematically Interested Students, and the Recreation Board.  She also made several contributions to Operation Christmas Child on campus.

After graduation in early May, she traveled across the country to Arizona State University where she will continue her education, working towards an advanced degree within the chemistry department.

To be eligible for Academic All-America program consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.