PHILADELPHIA STANDOUTS BURNS AND ABELE EARN ECAC WEEKLY BASKETBALL HONORS

January 3, 2007

NEW HAVEN, CT - Christian Burns and Meg Abele of the Philadelphia University men's and women's basketball teams were both named Division II co-Players of the Week by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) today. The honors come a day after both student-athletes earned Player of the Week honors from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC).

Burns, a 6-9 senior center from Hamilton, NJ, shares Player of the Week honors with Nick Smith of Stonehill College. Burns averaged 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per-game while shooting 53.3-percent from the field in three games over the holiday. He tallied 23 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in a win over Southern New Hampshire and added 20 points, 11 boards, two blocks and two steals in a win over AIC. Burns has been named ECAC Player of the Week twice so far this season.

Abele, a 5-11 senior forward from Lititz, PA, was named Player of the Week along with Ashley Hilton of the University of New Haven. Abele led the Rams to a 2-0 mark in conference play last week by averaging 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per-game. She recorded 24 points, four rebounds and two steals in a win over Wilmington College and notched 19 points, five rebounds and four steals against Georgian Court University.