Air Force's Phillipich Named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American®

Air Force’s Mike Phillipich Named Academic All-American

USAFA, Colo. – Air Force Academy senior hockey player Mike Phillipich was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Men’s At-Large Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Phillipich, selected to the third team, graduated with a 3.77 grade point average as a systems engineering management major. Phillipich won the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award as the “nation’s consummate team player and team builder.” Phillipich was one of just five players in Air Force history to be a two-year team captain. He was the MVP of the 2007 Atlantic Hockey Association Final Four as a sophomore as Air Force claimed it first ever conference championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. As a junior and senior, he captained the Falcons to two more AHA tournament championships and NCAA appearances. He has been on the dean’s list every semester, is a three-time academic all-conference selection and was a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, recognizing excellence in academics, athletics, character and leadership. Phillipich played in 38 games as a senior as Air Force claimed its third consecutive AHA championship and earned its first ever trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. He played in 134 career games and had 36 goals and 90 points and was earned the Academy’s Scholar-Athlete Award in 2009.

A right winger from Lansing, Mich., Phillipich is the fourth Falcon to earn Academic All-America honors, joining Justin Kieffer (1998 third team), Brian Gornick (2002 third team) and Mike Polidor (2004 second team).