Towson, MD - Piedmont College men's tennis player Patrick Steck has been named a Capital One Academic All-American as announced earlier today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Just a few weeks after becoming the first men's tennis player to be named an Academic All-District honoree, Steck becomes the 5th Piedmont student-athlete to be named an Academic All-American while becoming the first male to reach Capital One Academic All-American status in Lions history taking 3rd Team honors on the listing.

"To be recognized as one of the best 45 student athletes in the nation in men's tennis is a tremendous accomplishment," stated Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Dzik. "To be the first Piedmont male student athlete to be honored in this manner is fantastic! Patrick exemplifies all that Division III athletics is about…outstanding academics coupled with athletic excellence. We are very proud of his accomplishment."

Earlier this spring, Steck took the first step in the CoSIDA sponsored process by becoming one of just two males to be given Academic All-District honors joining Piedmont basketball player Jessie Jenkins who earned the honor this past winter. Steck is no stranger though to academic awards as he was the first recipient of the newly released Senior Academic Excellence Award handed out to the graduating senior with the highest GPA.

A native of Kingsland, Georgia, Steck also got it done on the court with some of his most memorable moments in a decorated athletic career coming in the most clutch performances of all-time at PC. As just a freshman for the 2011 version of the Lions' tennis team, Steck kept Piedmont's GSAC title hopes alive with an inspirational win at #2 singles in the Great South Athletic Conference Championship Tournament Final that leveled a showdown with rival Huntingdon College and set the stage for a dramatic 5-4 victory that handed PC the crown, the program's 8th such title in 11 seasons.

Steck was forced to rally in that match four seasons ago for a 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 tie-break victory, but followed that up with a yell at the end of the match which reverberated across the courts to inspire his teammates and epitomized the veteran's Piedmont career, a four-year stint that featured the young man overcoming adversity before triumphing on the court with his passion for the game clearly on display. That same passion comes as no surprise though to his coach while roaming the courts at PC, long-time Piedmont tennis Coach Shane Wood, who had this to say regarding the newly announced Academic All-American:

"I have never seen a harder worker in the classroom or on the tennis court. I am very proud of Patrick for everything he has accomplished during his Piedmont career. He has been an invaluable student-athlete on our campus for the past four years, and I am very excited to see what the future holds for him."

Steck partnered with fellow senior Joel Silverberg to go 10-4 in doubles action during this, his senior year with the Piedmont men's tennis program. Going 28-19 overall in his singles career, Steck posted 11 singles wins in his final campaign as his Lions tennis team never posted less than 11 wins as a team in any of his four seasons with the Green and Gold.

The Lions went 11-7 themselves as a team this year including a 6-3 mark in conference play making an appearance in the USA South tourney semifinals for a second consecutive season.  PC was dominant when getting a win on the court with eight of its 11 wins in 2014 coming by a shutout 9-0 score including a sweep of perennial league foe LaGrange at the USA South championships this spring in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

"I am so honored to have received this achievement because, for me, it embodies everything I worked for at Piedmont," said Steck of his academic achievement. "Thanks to all of the support from the academic and athletic staff members at Piedmont College, I was able to push myself to new limits on the court and in the classroom. I know that the lessons and values I obtained during my career at Piedmont will serve me well in my future endeavors."

Steck maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA during his four years at Piedmont College majoring in International Studies and will leave campus as a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree.  The senior men's tennis player was active in the community as well starting the Piedmont chapter of the Pulsera Project, the first such chapter in the state of Georgia, and was also a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee rep as well as a member of Phi Sigma Iota, the foreign language NHS.

To be eligible for Capital One Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. 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. In addition, nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's matches at their respective positions.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.