Photo Credit: Brian Jenkins/Peyton Williams
America East Release

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the first time in league history, the America East Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year recipients come from the same institution as the University of Vermont's Connor Tobin (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Kristen Millar (Whitby, Ontario) are the 2008-09 honorees, respectively.

Earlier this season Tobin was named the America East Scholar-Athlete for men's soccer, while Millar took home the honor in women's lacrosse.

Tobin is the first Vermont male student-athlete to earn the honor since fellow men's soccer player Chris Shaver in 2001. He owns a 3.76 grade-point average in mechanical engineering and was the America East Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete for the second straight year. Tobin, a member of UVM's Honors College, was a finalist for the 2008 Lowe's Senior Class Award and was the first UVM men's soccer player named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American First Team, as well as earning NSCAA College Scholar All-America honors as a junior and senior.

On the field, Tobin was named the 2008 America East Defender of the Year and was a first-team all-conference honoree twice. He also garnered a spot on the NSCAA All-Region team in 2008 and was a three-time member of the America East All-Championship team.

Tobin, who was a four-time member of the America East Commissioners' Academic Honor Roll, was awarded the prestigious Wasson Athletic Prize as Vermont's top male scholar-athlete at the 2009 Rally Awards.

Tobin is currently playing professionally in Norway with Nybersgund IL-Trysil, which plays in the Adeccoligaen Norwegian First Division.

Millar graduated as arguably the best player in UVM women's lacrosse history and with a 3.64 GPA as an elementary education major. She became the first Catamount to be chosen as the America East Woman of the Year after having best distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service and leadership. Millar was a four-time IWLCA Northeast Region All-American, a three-time America East All-Conference selection and two-time All-Championship honoree.

She was also named to the America East All-Academic Team and the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District squad in each of the last two years. She was named the winner of the J. Edward Donnelly Award at the 2009 Rally Awards as Vermont's top female student-athlete and presented with the school's Class of 1967 Award at commencement, which is given to the male and female senior who best exhibit leadership, academic competence and character, and who have earned the respect of faculty and fellow students.

Millar, the 2009 America East Scholar-Athlete in women's lacrosse, graduated from Vermont as the program's all-time leader in points, goals, assists, ground balls, caused turnovers and draw controls. She also became the NCAA Division I all-time leader in draw controls during the 2009 season.

Vermont won the America East Academic Cup for an unprecedented fifth straight year in 2009. UVM student-athletes achieved a 3.14 GPA during the 2008-09 year, tying the highest GPA in the 14-year history of the award, which the Catamounts set during the 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08 academic years.

Overall, UVM student-athletes combined to earn a 3.20 GPA for the spring semester of 2009 (including men's and women's hockey and men's and women's skiing which do not compete in America East). It is the highest GPA the athletic department has ever achieved and marked the 14th consecutive semester UVM student-athletes have earned a 3.0 GPA or better.

Also, Tobin and Millar were two of five Catamounts to earn America East Scholar-Athlete honors during the 2008-09 season. Additionally, a school-record seven UVM student-athletes earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I honors this season and two were named national Academic All-Americans.