University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia senior cross country runner Joy Aifuwa has been named the 2007-08 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Female Scholar Athlete of the Year in an announcement made today by Commissioner Dan Mara.

To be eligible for the award, nominees must have performed with distinction on his/her team and possess legitimate athletic credentials. The nominee must have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and be considered a credit to their institution.

Joining Aifuwa as the CACC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year is Caldwell College men's soccer player Nicholas Harriott. Both student-athletes will now be eligible for the NCAA Division II Commissioners Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.

The selection of Aifuwa as the CACC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year is the third-consecutive year a USP student athlete has earned this honor. Women's basketball player Shelby Rance earned the honor in 2006-07 while volleyball player Emily Roth was named in 2005-06.

Aifuwa (Edison High School/Edison, N.J.) was the top runner for USP in every race during her career, except for one. In addition, Aifuwa just completed the fourth year of a six-year Doctor of Pharmacy program with a 3.485 grade-point average. Aifuwa claimed numerous accolades this season for both her academic and athletic prowess. She earned Dean's List honors both semesters and was selected to the Division II All-Academic Team by the US Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). She was also named to the Philadelphia Area All-Academic team.

Aifuwa is the first CACC female cross country runner to earn All-CACC honors four times and she never finished lower than third at the conference championship meet. She finished second at the 2007 championship and recorded the fastest time ever by a USP runner at Philadelphia's Belmont Plateau course (19:27) in the process. She earned CACC Runner of the Week accolades a total of 15 times in her career. Aifuwa led the Devils to their first CACC Championship in 2005 by finishing in third place at the championship meet.

One of the most accomplished cross country runners in school history, Aifuwa holds seven of USP's nine fastest 5,000 meter times on any course, the fastest 5K time at Belmont Plateau (USP's home course) and six of the eight fastest times ever at Belmont and the five fastest 6,000 -meter times ever by a USP runner on any course. She has been named to the Division II All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association) and the Philadelphia Area All-Academic Team three times (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08).

The former Edison High School athlete completed her fourth and final season of eligibility for the Devils in 2007-08.