NEW HAVEN, Conn. (April 4, 2019) -- Caldwell University Women's Lacrosse standout Arden Kassaleh on Thursday was named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Student-Athlete of the Month for March 2019, as announced on Thursday by Commissioner Dan Mara. Kassaleh earned the award for demonstrating success on the field, in the classroom and in her local community.

The junior from Pompton Plains, N.J., had an outstanding month on the lacrosse field for the Cougars, as she tossed in 34 goals and assisted on four others for 38 points. She was named the CACC Player of the Week on March 25. Kassaleh's strong play during the 2019 campaign comes on the heels of two terrific seasons in 2017 and 2018, as she was named to the All-CACC Team during her freshman and sophomore seasons. She was named to the first team as a rookie in 2017 and collected second-team accolades last season. Kassaleh has also been recognized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) during her first-two seasons at the collegiate level, as she was named an ECAC Second-Team All-Star in 2017 and picked up first-team status in 2018. She is closing in on 200 career points with a current total of 191

The business administration major has also been a standout in the classroom during her time at Caldwell. Kassaleh boasts a 3.79 cumulative grade point average and was named to the CACC All-Academic Team in 2018 during her sophomore season.

In the community, Kassaleh has served as a volunteer coach for the Pequannock Youth Lacrosse Program, while also serving as an instructor at the Cedar Grove Lacrosse Clinic. A women's lacrosse team representative for her school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Kassaleh has participated in a team cleanup at Grover Cleveland Park, and made Thanksgiving cards for nuns with Holy Spirit Pre-Kindergarten.

The CACC Student-Athlete-of-the-Month Award is given each month from September through May, which spans the academic calendar for schools throughout the conference. Schools may nominate one student-athlete per month, as academic success and community engagement is factored just as heavily as athletic prowess. Kassaleh becomes the first women's lacrosse student-athlete and first individual from Caldwell to earn the award during the 2018-19 academic/athletic season.

ABOUT THE CACC
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University), Nyack College, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.