Academic All-America Men's At-Large Team
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Recent graduate
Timothy Kurpis of the Gettysburg College men's lacrosse team continued to put the finishing touches on an outstanding career both on and off the field by earning a spot on the
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division Men's At-Large First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), it was announced Tuesday.
An Academic All-America Second Team selection last year, Kurpis becomes the fourth student-athlete in school history to capture the award in multiple seasons and the first since Chase Stewart '06, former men's lacrosse standout, in 2005 and 2006.
Kurpis helped Gettysburg continue its recent run of success with the Academic All-America program. Since 2003, 11 student-athletes have been honored 17 times.
A standout defenseman and a two-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American, Kurpis helped lead a Gettysburg defense that finished 12th in Division III (6.67 goals per game). He was named a USILA First Team All-American after taking honorable mention in 2009, was an All-Centennial Conference First Team selection of the second year in a row, was selected to play in the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game, and copped ECAC Second Team All-Star recognition.
The Bullets, who finished 15-3, reached the Centennial Conference championship game, earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and a No. 4 national ranking in the final USILA poll. Gettysburg spent three weeks ranked No. 1 early in the season.
On the field, Kurpis ended the year with 31 ground balls to go with 22 caused turnovers, which ranked second among the Bullets. Early in the season, he helped Gettysburg limit defending national champion, then-No. 1 SUNY Cortland, to five goals in a 7-5 victory on Long Island in a rematch of the 2009 Division III championship game.
For his career, Kurpis played in 64 games and made 58 consecutive starts over his final three seasons.
In the classroom, Kurpis finished with a 4.04 cumulative grade-point average as an economics major and mathematics minor and holds the highest GPA of all 45 members of the College Division Academic All-America Men's At-Large team. He also owns the highest GPA of all Gettysburg male varsity letterwinners, and was selected by faculty to participate in the Fed Challenge this past fall at the Federal Reserve. A former intern at AIG and BNY Mellon in credit risk management, he will begin working at AllianceBernstein, a large asset management company.
To be nominated for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must carry at least a 3.30 GPA, be of sophomore or higher standing, and be a starter or prominent reserve. The men's at-large program includes individuals from such sports as fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.
