Hempstead, NY - Hofstra All-American wrestler Lou Ruggirello has been named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America University Division Men's At-Large third team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Men's At-Large program for the Academic All-America® includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo and wrestling.

Ruggirello's honor is the third Capital One Academic All-America award received by a Hofstra student-athlete during the 2010-11 academic year. Seniors Dana Bergstrom and Tiffany Yovino were both named to the Capital One Women's Soccer Academic All-America first team last November. Ruggirello becomes the 26th Hofstra student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA and is the first Pride wrestler to receive the award.

Ruggirello, who won his second Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in April after receiving the honor in 2009, is both a four-time CAA champion and NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds. He earned his first All-America award this year by placing seventh at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia in March. A senior majoring in finance, the Walden, New York native is a four-time CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and a five-year member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll.

Ruggirello, a Capital One Academic All-District I first team selection, is a two-time (2008-09) member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team. He posted a 32-5 overall record in 2010-11 including a 17-1 mark in dual matches with 13 wins by fall. In his Pride career, Ruggirello finished second on the Hofstra all-time career victory list with a 131-26 record including a 72-7 mark in duals.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

The Academic All-America® program has honored thousands of student-athletes since its inception in 1952. It encompasses all sports in which the NCAA conducts championships. There are separate teams selected in football, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and cross-country. For student-athletes in other sports, such as wrestling, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, golf, hockey, they are eligible for the men's and women's at-large programs.

Currently, a Capital One Academic All-America® University Division (NCAA Division I participants) team and a College Division team (combining NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, Canadian, and two-year schools) are selected for each sport category. Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year, this national program will grow to four programs - with NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III teams and a separate College Division program combining NAIA, Canadian and two-year school honorees. The Capital One Academic All-America® Program is a highly selective scholar-athlete honor. Approximately 1,950 of the 12,000 student-athletes nominated annually receive "First-Team Academic All-District" honors, and only 820 currently gain the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America® honor; of those 820, only 288 earn prestigious Academic All-America® First Team accolades.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA, www.CoSIDA.com), now in its 55th year as an organization, was founded in 1957-making it the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. Today, it is a vibrant 2,700-plus member national association comprised of the sports public relations, communications and information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.

About Capital One       

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $122.2 billion in deposits and  $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of December 31, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

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