Dec. 18, 2000

VILLANOVA, PA-- On Friday, Dec. 15, the Atlantic 10 Conference released is All-Academic Team for the 2000 football season. Five Villanova student-athletes earned themselves a place on the All-Academic Team, which included 57 student-athletes from the conference's 10 schools.

Named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team Defense for the Wildcats were junior linebacker and Communications major Joe Keating (Lansdale, Pa./ Lansdale Catholic), junior linebacker and accounting major Mark Laber (Denver, Colo./ Regus Jesuit), and senior safety and engineering major Matt Reiter (New Lenox, Ill./ Providence Catholic). This was the second time Reiter has earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team, with the first time coming one season ago.

Making the All-Academic squad as specialists were junior punter and finance major Chris Birch (New London, Pa./ St. Mark's), and junior kicker and finance major Casey Hannon (Lebanon, N.J./ Pingry School). Hannon, like Reiter, has now earned All-Academic Team honors for two consecutive seasons.

Villanova was one of seven Atlantic 10 schools to place five or more student-athletes on the 2000 All-Academic Team. Massachusetts and Richmond led the way with seven players earning All-Academic accolades.