Edison, NJ – Iona College men's cross country/track standout Richard Kiplagat was named one of three 2005-06 MAAC Student-Athletes of the Year, by the league's sports information directors, it was announced today. He becomes the first male to repeat the honor adding to his tremendous legacy as one of the Gaels' top student-athletes in school history. Loyola women's soccer notable Ali Andrzejewski and Siena volleyball standout Liz Hubbard were named along with Kiplagat.

Kiplagat, a 6-0 senior from Marakwet, Kenya, captured his third career MAAC Cross Country title in 2005, the sixth Gael to win two or more league cross country crowns. He finished first in the 2005 NCAA Division I Cross Country Northeast Regional and was second overall at the 2005 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship. In June, Kiplagat narrowly missed out on the 5000 Meter individual title at the 2006 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, taking third place with a time of 14:13.84. He was a 10-time All-America honoree, a 13-time MAAC Champion in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track and a six-time IC4A individual champion. A five-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Teams for cross country/track and a four-time member of Iona's Dean List, Kiplagat earned his master's degree in financial management with a 3.77 grade point.

“This is another tremendous honor for someone that will go down in Iona's history as one of our finest athletes ever,” Iona College Director of Athletics Patrick Lyons said. “Richard truly represents what it means to be a student-athlete.
It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to watch Richard these past four years.”

Kiplagat joins former Niagara women's tennis player Milena Matijevic as the MAAC's only two-time winner of the MAAC Student-Athlete of the Year Award. Earlier this spring Kiplagat was named as an O'Connell Award winner as Iona's top senior student-athlete after earning his 13-MAAC Championships and 10-All America honors.

Loyola's Andrzejewski and Siena's Hubbard also shared the award with Kiplagat. Andrzejewski , a 5-7 senior from Lutherville, Md., earned this honor after setting school records with 33 career goals and 75 career points in just two years at Loyola. She scored 15 goals and added two assists in 2005. Hubbard, a 6-1 senior from Newark, Del., finished her volleyball career with the Saints with 234 blocks, ranking her sixth all-time in school history, while adding 687 kills. As last season's captain, she helped lead Siena to its first MAAC Championship in ten years and earned a spot in the 2005 MAAC All-Tournament Team.

The MAAC Committee on Athletic Administration created the MAAC Student-Athlete of the Year award in October 2001 to recognize overall excellence in the classroom, on the playing field and in the community. Each MAAC member selected one male and one female nominee for the honor. The conference sports information directors vote to determine one overall winner for men and women. The conference awards honorable mention awards to each nominee. Nominees must have at least a 3.2 overall grade point average, be in their second year of residence at the institution, and be a starter or important reserve on their team.

“The MAAC's mission statement notes that the conference was formed to provide member institutions the opportunity to conduct men's and women's intercollegiate athletics within a context that holds paramount the academic programs of member institutions and the academic and personal growth of the student participants,” MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor said. “These three student-athletes reinforce the validity of the core beliefs of the conference and that students can be successful in both the classroom and their chosen sports. The MAAC membership congratulates them on their outstanding efforts.”

Honorable mentions were awarded to the following nominees: Canisius College – Kiel Illg (men's lacrosse), Katie Miranto (softball); Fairfield University – Ed Meyer (men's soccer), Tara Hansen (softball); Iona College – Miki Hogg (volleyball); Loyola College – James Harris (men's swimming); Manhattan College – John Fitzpatrick (baseball), Caryn Capalbo (cross country/track); Marist College – Tomislav Rogic (men's soccer), Meghan Duffy (women's diving); Niagara University – Andrew MacNevin (baseball), Brittany Bisnott (women's soccer); Rider University – Daniel Burgess (men's swimming), Caitlin Crawbuck (women's tennis); Saint Peter's College – Scott Bonnono (football), Angelina Albruzzese (women's soccer); Siena College – Bryan Bigley (men's golf).