PISCATAWAY, N.J. (November 30, 2010) – Rutgers senior outside hitter Caitlin Saxton (Encinitas, Calif.) has been named an ESPN First Team Academic All-American,the College Sports Information Directors of America announced today. Saxton, who took home Third Team Academic All-American honors last season, becomes the first BIG EAST volleyball student-athlete to take home multiple Academic All-American honors from CoSIDA.

“We’re excited that all the hard work that Caitlin put in on the court and in the classroom is being recognized,” said head coach CJ Werneke. “Caitlin is the epitome of a student-athlete and we are all very proud of the fact that she has been recognized as an Academic All-American.”

Saxton, a 2009 and 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team honoree, has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a journalism and media studies and sociology double-major. Saxton is set to graduate in May 2011 and plans on attending law school the following fall. For her impressive accomplishments in the classroom, Saxton has garnered numerous accolades, including being named a CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Third Team Academic All-America in 2009, making her only the sixth BIG EAST volleyball student-athlete to claim Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA in the 20-year history of BIG EAST volleyball. Saxton has also been named to the BIG EAST All-Academic team twice.

Saxton, a two-year captain who started every match during her three years with the Scarlet Knights, has also excelled on the court as she led the Scarlet Knights in kills (306), kills per set (3.00) and total attacks (923), while ranking in RU’s top-five in service aces (third, 23), digs (second, 252) and blocks (fourth, 29) in 2010. Saxton also ranks narrowly outside of the top ten in the Rutgers career record book for kills (895) and attempts (2802) despite only having played three years in the program.

To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be named a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team Honoree, bea varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

The Scarlet Knights finished their season with an 11-17 overall record. The 11 wins were the most for the program since the 2005 season. The 11 wins also mark the second season in a row that Coach Werneke has improved on the squad’s win total from the previous season.