Patriot League Release

HAMILTON – James Queeney and Peter Baum are Colgate's twin representatives on this year's Academic All-Patriot League Team.

Established by the conference in 2011, Queeney and Baum both are making their third straight appearances on the elite academic listing of 12 team members as voted by the Patriot League's sports information representatives in men's lacrosse. Queeney easily led all recipients with a 4.17 grade-point average in mathematics, while Baum sported an impressive 3.61 mark in geography.

“I'm very excited for both of those guys,” Raiders head coach Mike Murphy said. “It's a testament to their hard work – not only on the lacrosse field but also in the classroom.

“They both truly are Colgate kids who embrace everything Colgate stands for. It's an outstanding academic institution and we play a great brand of Division I lacrosse. When you look at those two guys, you see a true embodiment of the Colgate student-athlete.”

Big Apple Bound
Queeney is a two-year captain and four-year letterman from Reading, Mass. He played Saturday in his 54th collegiate game and made his 47th career start. Last year, Queeney was named to CoSIDA's Academic All-District I Team and Academic All-America Third Team.

On the field, Queeney has compiled 84 career ground balls and 27 caused turnovers.

“They list Jimmy with a 4.17 GPA, and it's not like he's taking underwater fire prevention,” Murphy said. “He's a math major with an economics minor; just an unbelievable student-athlete with outstanding excellence in the classroom. We have a lot of great defensemen in our conference, and sometimes Jimmy's play gets overshadowed. But you can't overshadow what Jimmy does in the classroom.”

After graduation, Queeney is set to begin the next phase of his life with a Bank of America position in New York City.

“Jimmy's one of those guys who I'm glad he came back to school for his senior season,” Murphy said. “Some guys leave early for the NFL; Jimmy could have foregone his senior year and moved straight into banking. Jimmy had this job wrapped up the summer of his junior year, which just shows you how those in the professional business world think of him.”

Big Leagues Are Next
Baum is one of five Academic All-League recipients to also earn All-Patriot League honors for his work on the playing field. The Portland, Ore., native was a first-team All-Patriot League squad member all four years at Colgate.

“It just shows how special Pete is, with his being not only a top-level player in our conference but also an outstanding student,” Murphy said. “I'm as proud of his academic achievements as I am of his play on the lacrosse field.”

Baum just competed in his 60th career game and made his 50th collegiate start. The senior captain leads the Raiders this season with 46 points and is tied for team honors in goals with 33.

Earlier this year, Baum moved to the top of the Colgate and Patriot League record books in career goals with 163. He is Colgate Lacrosse's all-time leader in points scored with 222. Also this season, Baum is one of 10 national finalists for the Senior CLASS Award.

In January, Baum was the overall No. 1 selection of the Major League Lacrosse draft by the Ohio Machine.

The next game action for Queeney and Baum is Friday night in the Patriot League Men's Lacorsse Tournament presented by Rockin' Refuel. The Raiders take on Lehigh at 7:30 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.

To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.

The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor.

2013 Patriot League Academic Awards in Men's Lacrosse

Academic All-League
Andrew Boyd, Army, Sr.
Brendan Buckley, Army, Sr. *
Mike Huffner, Bucknell, Sr. *
Todd Heritage, Bucknell, Jr.
James Queeney, COLGATE, Sr.
Peter Baum, COLGATE, Sr. *
Terry McKenna, Holy Cross, So.
Jake Hyatt, Lafayette, Jr.
Baxter Lanius, Lehigh, Sr.
Ryan Snyder, Lehigh, Sr. *
Ty Souders, Lehigh, Jr. *
Erik Hoffstadt, Navy, Jr.

* - Also named to All-League team.

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Brendan Buckley, Army, Sr.