Feb. 19, 2007

BROOKINGS, SD - New Jersey Institute of Technology men's and women's cross country athletes Aileen Davila, Iulia Doci and Babatunde Busari were named to the national NCAA Division I Independent All-Academic team for 2006, head Cross Country and Track and Field coach Rod DeHaven of South Dakota State announced today.

Doci, a graduate of British School of Barcelona High School in Spain and Davila a sophomore, graduate of Passaic County Tech High School are both management majors while Busari a graduate of International School in Nigeria is a dual major in Mechanical Engineering & Information Tech.

Doci, who is running cross country for the first time is also an impact player on the tennis courts. She brings a high level of energy; passion and competitiveness to the team which helps motivate her teammates to reach to their fullest potential. In 2006, she was named Newcomer of the Year, NJIT women's tennis MVP, CACC player of the week and posted a 19-2 record in her freshman season at No. 1 singles, her two losses came against Division I opponents Temple and Seton Hall. During the fall of 2005, she ranked 3rd among ITA Region singles players and 4th in doubles. She was CACC singles champ and Rookie of the Year. Holding a 7-0 record in match competition she reached semifinals of ITA Division II "A" singles. A native of Bistrita, Romania, Doci has a cumulative grade point average of 3.500.

Davila, a sophomore placed 26th (30:57.12) in the NJIT Classic. The Highlanders who placed fifth in the Fairfield Invitational, Davila brought her time down coming in at (25:38). Additionally, the cross country team raised money for Make-a-Wish Foundation by performing a 24-hour relay. A native of Clifton, NJ she has a 3.440 cumulative GPA.

Busari, who redshirted last year as a freshman, is ready to go in 2006. "He was hurt last year, but I expect him to take his place in our top seven immediately," said Alonso. Busari placed ninth in the NJIT Classic with a time of (29:22.59) while finishing third among Division I runners and fourth overall at the Highlander Invitational, at (27:58). Babatunde is a member of the NJIT Math Club, NJIT First Robatics Club, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Mathematical Association of America (MAA)and NJIT African Student Association (AFSA) organization. Babatunde has also volunteered to raise money for St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken in 2005 & 2006. Additionally, the cross country team raised money for Make-a-Wish Foundation by performing a 24-hour relay. A native of Ibadan, Nigeria, he has a 3.363 cumulative GPA.

In order to be eligible for the honor, student-athletes needed a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25, have reached at least sophomore athletic standing and be a starter or important reserve.

Other institutions represented on the 47-player team included UC Davis, IPFW, Utah Valley State, Texas-Pan American, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.