Banks, Cellucci Earn Academic All-Area Recognition From Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Junior Brianna Banks (Philadelphia, Pa./Parkway Center) and senior James Cellucci (Rosemont, Pa./Radnor) represented Penn State Brandywine on the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area soccer teams that were announced by Philly-SIDA on Monday afternoon.

To be eligible for Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area honors, a student-athlete must be in at least his or her second year at the institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better. Student-athletes are selected through voting by the sports information offices of 30 institutions in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Banks, who owns a 3.57 grade-point average as a human development and family studies major, is a two-time PSUAC All-Academic Team honoree and received the USCAA National Academic Team award in October. In 2017-18, she was also selected as an Arthur Ashe Jr., Sports Scholar.

On the field, Banks made history this season, becoming the first-ever three-time first team all-American in any sport at Penn State Brandywine. Also a three-time PSUAC Player of the Year, Banks scored a USCAA-leading 29 goals and registerd 65 total points in 16 matches. She helped lead the Brandywine women's soccer team to the USCAA Championship game for the first time in its history as the Lions finished the season as the national runners-up.

Cellucci, a three-year team captain and four-year starting defender, led the Brandywine men's soccer team to the school's first-ever national title in November. Making its third-straight appearance in the USCAA Tournament, Brandywine defeated Johnson & Wales (N.C.) in overtime to capture the USCAA championship.

In four seasons at Brandywine, Cellucci appeared in 78 games, all starts, recording nine goals and 10 assists for 28 points. This fall, he contributed four goals and six assists, while leading one of the top defensive units in the USCAA. Cellucci was a three-time all-American and four-time all-conference honoree during his career.

A human development and family studies major, Cellucci has earned a 3.44 GPA. He is a three-time PSUAC All-Academic Team selection with plans to graduate from the University this spring.