MANCHESTER, N.H. – Six Southern New Hampshire University student-athletes representing five sports were named to their respective Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic Teams, it was announced Thursday afternoon. 

Tim Rines (Merrimack, N.H.) of the baseball team, D.J. Lantz (New London, N.H.) of the men's golf team, Maura Murphy (Candia, N.H.) of the women's lacrosse team, Kelsey Griffin (Scarborough, Maine) of the softball team and Amber Chandronnait (Bow, N.H.) and Catalina Echeverry (Cali, Colombia) of the women's tennis team were all honored.

To be eligible for selection to the academic all-conference teams, a student-athlete must have met and/or exceeded the following minimum requirements: 1) participated in at least half of the team's competitions and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); and 3) completed at least one academic year at his/her current institution. The Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference teams are chosen by a vote of a committee of athletic administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR).

Rines, who recently wrapped up his junior season with the Penmen, is an accounting major with a 3.85 GPA.  This season, he led Southern New Hampshire with a .291 batting average while driving in 13 runs.  Rines ranked second on the squad with 11 multi-hit games, including four three-hit performances.  Entering his senior season, Rines ranks 10^th in SNHU program history in career hits with 121.

Lantz also recently wrapped up his junior season and is a Business Administration major with a 3.70 GPA.  SNHU's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2009-10, Lantz compiled one of the top individual seasons in Penmen golf history this past year.  In 10 tournaments he registered nine top-10 finishes, including six top-three finishes.  Lantz captured NE-10 All-Conference honors for the second time in his career and qualified to compete at the NCAA Regional as an individual, finishing eighth out of 108 golfers.  His 74.1 stroke average established a single-season program record.  He was named to the All-Academic Team for the second time in his career.

Murphy recently wrapped up her career with the women's lacrosse program as a graduate student majoring in Education with a 3.83 GPA.  Despite being slowed by injury this season, she finished with 18 goals and 13 assists in 12 games, good for sixth on the squad.  A two-year captain, Murphy wrapped up her career ranked third in career goals (141), fourth in career points (197) and fifth in career assists (56).

Griffin, who enters her senior season with the Penmen softball program in the fall, has compiled a 3.63 GPA as an Elementary Education major.  A Northeast-10 All-Conference selection in 2009, Griffin posted a 3.41 earned run average and 11-12 record in 30 appearances in 2010 while striking out 91.  Entering her senior season, she ranks fourth in program history in career strikeouts with 180, while her 2.77 career ERA is good for seventh.

Chandronnait, a Business Administration major with a 3.86 GPA, has established herself as one of the top Division II women's tennis players in the country entering her senior year.  SNHU's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2009-10, she is a two-time Northeast-10 Player of the Year and has gone 25-0 in two years of NE-10 singles play.  A two-time ITA East Regional Champion and two-time SNHU Female Athlete of the Year, Chandronnait led the Penmen to the Northeast-10 championship this season and has led the program to the first two NCAA berths in its history.

Echeverry, who recently wrapped up her junior season, is a Marketing major with a 3.55 GPA.  This season, she finished 12-0 in NE-10 singles play to garner All-Conference honors for the third time in her career and First Team accolades for the second time.  Echeverry has also gone unbeaten in two years in NE-10 play (24-0) and has posted a 33-1 mark in NE-10 play over her career.  She has also earned NE-10 All-Conference honors in doubles three times.  Echeverry was named to the NE-10 All-Academic Team for the second time in her career.

With 16 member institutions the Northeast-10 shares the distinction of being the largest Division II conference in the country along with the PSAC and WVIAC. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.