St. Aug's Copeland Selected D-II Scholar Male Field Athlete of the Year

St. Aug's Copeland Selected D-II Scholar Male Field Athlete of the Year

July 30, 2010

Talented high jumper Christopher Copeland (Rising Junior/Suffolk, Va.) of Saint Augustine’s College was named Division II scholar male field athlete of the year for the 2010 indoor track and field season Friday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. He is the first track and field student-athlete from Saint Augustine’s College to win the award since its inception two years ago.
 
Copeland also joined teammates Orlando Duffus (Rising Senior/St. Catherine, Jamaica), Steve Simeus (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Jamal Cumberbatch (St. Peters, Barbados), and Ramon Gittens (Rising Senior/St. Thomas, Barbados) on the 156-member national All-Academic men’s team. All five student-athletes helped the Falcons win the 2010 NCAA Division II men’s outdoor crown.

Copeland

Each Falcon, with the exception of Simeus, is a repeat member on the All-Academic men’s squad. On Thursday, Sheena Johns (Rising Senior/Dover, Del.) and Keisha Parris (Rising Junior/St. Catherine, Jamaica) earned women’s All-Academic status.
 
Copeland is one of four student-athletes nationwide to win the scholar athlete award, which is earned by excelling in the classroom and finishing the highest in an individual event at the NCAA Championships. The male scholar athlete of the year is awarded in four categories: indoor track, indoor field, outdoor track and outdoor field. The other winners are Aaron Braun of Adams State (indoor track), Mike Husted of Colorado Mines (outdoor track) and Mike Beeler of Pittsburg State (outdoor field).
 
Copeland, who posts a 3.65 cumulative grade point average, won the Division II high jump indoor title with a leap of 7-0½. Copeland also placed second in the high jump after a jump-off at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. His highest leap in the event was 7-2¼
 
This is the third academic honor this year for Copeland, who is a sports management major. He was named third-team academic All-America by ESPN The Magazine, which also placed him on the all-region team.
 
Duffus, who has a 3.95 cumulative GPA, is an indoor and outdoor All-American in the triple jump and long jump. He was named first-team academic All-American and all-region by ESPN The Magazine, and was named CIAA male scholar-athlete of the year.
 
Duffus is also a member of the CIAA Commissioner’s All-Academic first team. A business administration major, Duffus won the Wiley M. Davis Award at Saint Augustine’s College for most outstanding international student-athlete, and he has the school’s highest GPA in men’s indoor track, men’s outdoor track and men’s cross country.
 
Simeus, who graduated with a sports management degree, earned All-America recognition during the outdoor season in the 110-meter hurdles. He finished Saint Augustine’s College with a 3.396 GPA.
 
Cumberbatch and Gittens both competed in the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Cumberbatch graduated cum laude in communication with a 3.424 GPA. Gittens, an accounting major, has a 3.681 cumulative GPA.