5/4/08 -- Widener junior Shawn McDevitt (Drexel Hill, PA) was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men’s Swimming Team a second straight year and three others also were selected for their respective squads.

Also making the list are junior Samantha Pitts (Tamaqua, PA) and sophomore Tyla Conicello (West Conshohocken, PA) from the women’s swimming team and junior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) from men’s basketball.

McDevitt, owner of a 3.305 GPA in Accounting, notched 10 victories this season.  That included three at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships to help the Pride win a third straight league title.  He was part of the winning squads for the 200-yard medley relay, the 400-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Pitts had a 3.408 GPA in Business Management and posted seven wins this season, including five relay titles.  She also was part of the 200-yard medley relay team that set a school record (1:54.90) by finishing second at the MAC Championships.

Conicello sports a 3.893 GPA in Social Work and amassed 12 victories this season, totaling seven relay crowns and five individual titles.  She posted three victories in Widener’s triumph over Lebanon Valley, taking the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle and being a part of the 200-yard medley relay team.

Sosna has a 3.912 GPA in Civil Engineering and made the most of his first season at starting center, helping Widener (23-6, 6-4 CC) win a second consecutive Commonwealth Conference title and appear in the NCAA Tournament a third straight year.  The first team CoSIDA Academic All-District selection was 16th in the league with 10.3 points per game, second with 6.7 rebounds per contest, sixth with a .550 shooting percentage and third with 2.24 offensive rebounds per game.