Former Nanaimo Clippers forward Colin Greening has been selected to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America second team in the at-large program for the University Division.
Greening becomes the first Cornell Big Red men's hockey player to earn a spot on the Academic All-America team since David LeNeveu and Mark McRae were both named to the second team in 2003. Greening is also just the third men's hockey player to ever earn a spot on the team, with McRae being selected twice.
Greening, who has a 3.95 grade point average in applied economics and management, served as co-captain during the 2008-09 men's hockey season that saw the Big Red advance to the NCAA Midwest Regional final in Grand Rapids, Mich. He finished second on the team in scoring with 31 points in 36 games, while his seven power-play goals were tied for the highest on the team. The 31 points marked the second straight year that Greening has surpassed the 30-point mark.
The only unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection, Greening also earned second-team All-ECAC Hockey honors. He set a career high this season with 15 goals, while also adding in four game-winning goals. He finished the season ranked tied for 19th in the nation in game-winning goals, while also ranking 39th in the country in power-play goals. Greening scored the game-winning goal against Princeton in double overtime in the ECAC Hockey semifinals, the goal that lifted the Big Red into its first ECAC Hockey championship game since the 2006 season.
Greening becomes the 19th Cornell male student-athlete to earn a spot on the ultra-competitive at-large team, which includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, men's hockey, men's lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Greening's selection to the at-large second team is Cornell's first overall since Matt McMonagle and Mitch Belisle (both men's lacrosse) were both selected to the first team in 2007.
To be eligible for the Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore standing at his or her current institution and be nominated by his or her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III, NAIA and junior colleges, covering all NCAA championship sports.
