TROY, N.Y. – Two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes have been selected to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-District 1 College Division Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Jeff Corelli and Garrett Harms were both named to the First Team in men's track & field. As First Team honorees, both are now eligible for National Academic All-America consideration.
A junior who hails from Latham, N.Y., Corelli is a mechanical engineering major with a 3.94 cumulative grade point average. A multiple Dean's List and Liberty League All-Academic selection, he helped RPI to its third straight conference title at the outdoor championships and the school's eighth title at the New York State Outdoor Meet, finishing fifth overall in the 1500-meter event. Corelli also won the 1000-meter race at the State Indoor Championships and was an All-New York State Third Team selection after finishing 15th overall at the State Cross Country Championship.
This is the first career Academic All-District honor for the Shaker High School graduate, who is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. He has interned with several companies, including General Electric (Steam Turbine Fleet Support Consulting Engineer) and Exxon Mobil (Supply & Transport) and also serves as the SAAC Community Service Organizer. In addition to being a Resident Assistant, Corelli has been a participant in the Undergrad Research Program and is also TJ Walker Memorial Scholarship Award recipient.
Harms, who is a dual major in nuclear and mechanical engineering, carried a cumulative GPA of 3.91 last year. The senior out of Newburyport. Mass., who has been recognized on the Dean's List in multiple semesters, is a Liberty League All-Academic selection and an RPI Medalist. One of the top multi-event competitors for the Engineers in 2011, Harms earned National All-America honors after finishing seventh overall in the decathlon at this year's National Championships. Among his top performances at Nationals was a victory in the javelin and second overall in the 1500-meter race.
Additionally, Harms won his second straight decathlon title and was the individual javelin champion at the New York State Championships, helping RPI win the overall team title. He also played a key role in the Engineers third straight outdoor Liberty League Championship title as he won the javelin and finished top-four in two other events.
A former standout at Newburyport High School, Harms has now garnered First Team Academic All-District in each of the last three seasons, having been named a National Academic All-American as a sophomore and a junior. He is a member of several honor societies, including the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Society, the American Nuclear Society and Alpha Nu Sigma. The recipient of the Dyce Prize, which honors students with high scholastic abilities and constructive leadership, and the Founders Award, Harms also serves a tutor to his fellow peers on campus. He has interned at Proctor & Gamble Manufacturing.
