EDISON, NJ - Iona shortstop Travis Garcia was named to the 2002 All-MAAC First team and catcher Jason Motte was an All-MAAC Second team selection, it was announced by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference today. Additionally, the MAAC announced that five Gaels received 2002 All-Academic honors.

Garcia, a 6-2, 195 pound sophomore from the Bronx, NY was chosen as the All-MAAC First Team's shortstop after leading Iona with a .339 batting average. He recorded a team-best 65 hits, including 12 doubles and five homeruns, and drove in 27 runs as the Gaels' starting shortstop this season.

Motte, a 6-0, 180 pound sophomore from Walden, NY is the catcher for the inaugural All-MAAC Second Team squad this season. He received the honor after batting .329 with 47 hits, including 11 doubles, two homeruns and a team-high 32 runs batted in. Motte started behind the plate in 40 of Iona's 48 games this season.

Five Iona baseball players were named to the 2002 MAAC All-Academic team. The team, headlined by Iona's Jeff Broderick's 3.82 GPA in Finance, is comprised of 34 student athletes from the MAAC baseball league. Joining Broderick are seniors Justin Carey (3.25 GPA/Management), Jim Diodati (3.62 GPA/Finance) and Greg Keating (3.48 GPA/Finance) and junior Robert Michitsch (3.46 GPA/Finance) all received the honor announced by the conference today. To be eligible for the team, a student athlete must complete two semesters at their institution, be a significant starter or reserve, and hold a cumulative grade point average of a 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.