TicketsFeb. 8, 2012
CINCINNATI - University of Cincinnati cross country and track standout Eric Finan (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond) was named the American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Wednesday.
The selection was made by the conference's Academic Affairs Committee and is presented on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance.
Finan, a graduate student, is the first UC student-athlete to win the award.
Finan earned all-America status in both cross country and track & field during his career after he finished 10th in the 5,000-meter run at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and was 25th at the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championships. He was the 2011 BIG EAST cross country champion and was the runner-up at the 2011 NCAA Great Lakes Regional after winning that event in 2010 and won a BIG EAST title in the 5,000 at last year's outdoor track & field championship.
He holds school records in the indoor 3,000 and 5,000 events and is the outdoor record-holder in the 5,000 and 10,000. He finished as Cincinnati's top cross country finisher in every race since the start of the 2009 season.
Finan, who holds a 3.785 grade-point average in Cincinnati's master of business administration program, earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering with a 3.897 GPA. He was the recipient of Cincinnati's Legion of Excellence Award, as the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average on his team and was admitted to the College of Engineering's Accend program, a joint undergraduate and graduate program for the most academically qualified engineering majors.
He has been on the dean's list for every academic quarter he has attended UC (2007-present) and was a BIG EAST Academic All-Star in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Finan was the student president of Cincinnati's Athletes in Action program and served as vice-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Sigma Sigma honorary fraternity and has been active with a number of community service efforts.
The American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is one of a number of scholarships presented by the BIG EAST Conference and American Eagle Outfitters during the 2011-12 academic year. Thirty-two student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST's 16 member institutions) will be named as the winners of the American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarships. The conference also names male and female American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Basketball Scholar-Athletes of the Year and an American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
1985 Joey David, Pittsburgh, Basketball
1986 John Prior, Connecticut, Track & Field
1987 Harold Jensen, Villanova, Basketball
1988 Dave Echeverria, Villanova, Swimming & Diving
1989 Chris Craft, Villanova, Swimming & Diving
1990 Pat O'Kelly, Seton Hall, Soccer
1991 David Honor, St. John's, Baseball
1992 Steve Holman, Georgetown, Track & Field
1993 Hector Zamora, Seton Hall, Soccer
1994 Sebastien Goulet, Swimming, Syracuse
1995 Kevin Lyles, Seton Hall, Track & Field
1996 Gil Kovalski, Miami, Tennis
1997 Christian Fogarazzo, St. John's, Track & Field
1998 Errol Williams, Notre Dame, Track & Field
1999 Angelo Ciminiello, Providence, Baseball
2000 Scott VanEpps, Pittsburgh, Swimming & Diving
2001 Chris Hamblin, Boston College, Soccer
2002 Gregory Strohmann, Seton Hall, Soccer
2003 Casey Schmidt, Boston College, Soccer
2004 Chris Wingert, St. John's, Soccer
2005 Guy Melamed, Boston College, Soccer
2006 Trevor O'Grady, Rutgers, Track & Field
2007 Drew Eckman, Villanova, Track & Field
2008 Jeremy Stultz, Pittsburgh, Swimming & Diving
2009 Zak Boggs, USF, Soccer
2010 Francisco Aristeguieta, USF, Soccer
2011 Brian Karalunas, Villanova, Lacrosse
2012 Eric Finan, Cincinnati, Cross Country/Track & Field