Moon Township, Pa. - Senior forward Joel Gasper (Crookston, Minn. / Billings Bulls) of the Robert Morris University men's ice hockey team was named to the ESPN The Magazine District II At-Large Academic All-America Team Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

It marks the second straight District II honor for Gasper, and with the award his name will be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

Gasper owns a cumulative grade point average of 3.92 as a manufacturing engineering and on the 2007-08 campaign appeared in 23 games for RMU, posting seven assists. Over his four-year career Gasper appeared in 116 games, registering 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points. His best season came as a junior in 2006-07, when he scored four goals and added nine assists for 13 points.         

The District II At-Large Academic All-America honor is the third time this year Gasper has been recognized for his work in the classroom. At RMU's 14th annual All-Sports Banquet, April 20, Gasper earned the 2008 Presidential Scholar-Athlete award, while he earned the Student-Athlete of the Year as well as the Most Inspirational Player honor by the Colonial men's ice hockey program as part of its postseason honors.

In order to be eligible for All-District Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.00 scale. The student-athlete must have reached sophomore eligibility and academic standing at the institution and must have completed one full academic year. CoSIDA's District II covers Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  

Robert Morris, led by fourth-year head coach Derek Schooley, finished with an overall record of 15-15-4 in 2007-08, marking the first time in the program's short history the Colonials finished with a .500 record. RMU also posted a mark of 10-7-3 in College Hockey America (CHA).