Philadelphia, Pa. - For the second consecutive season, Kieron Achara of Duquesne garnered Student-Athlete of the Year honors in voting among the league's sports information directors.

Achara is the third individual to be twice named the Student-Athlete of the Year in men's basketball, joining Saint Joseph's Bill Phillips (2001-02) and Brian Thornton of Xavier (2005-06). The forward/center is averaging 11.4 points and ranks second on the team with 45 blocks while leading the Dukes to their highest win total (17) since the 1993-94 season. In the classroom, the Stirling, Scotland, native boasts a 4.0 grade-point average as a graduate student in Duquesne's sports leadership program.

One of 30 nominees for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, Achara is a three-time All-Academic Team selection. He is joined on the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Team by Saint Louis teammates Lisch and Luke Meyer, Rhode Island's Jimmy Baron and Yves Mekongo Mbala of La Salle.

Name	School	Cl.	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown	Major
Kieron Achara	Duquesne	Sr.	F/C	6-9	Stirling, Scotland	Sports Leadership
Jimmy Baron	Rhode Island	Jr.	G	6-2	East Greenwich, R.I.	Communication Studies
Kevin Lisch	Saint Louis	Jr.	G	6-2	Belleville, Ill.	Business Administration
Yves Mekongo Mbala	La Salle	So.	F	6-7	Elizabeth, N.J.	Integrated Science & Business Technology
Luke Meyer	Saint Louis	Gr.	F/G	6-5	Washington, Mo.	MBA

Student-Athlete of the Year: Kieron Achara, Duquesne