Nov. 10, 2009

Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham University's Ali Arat (Istanbul, Turkey/Sisli Terakki Secondary) was named the CWPA's Northern Division Rookie of the Week it was announced by the league. This is Arat's first career weekly award.

Arat, who is in his first year of collegiate competition despite being a graduate student, scored five goals, grabbed three steals and drew five kickouts in three games as the Rams finished 2-1 at the Northern Division Championship hosted by Harvard University for the program's first bid to the Eastern Championship in over 20-years.

Against Connecticut College, he scored once in a 22-2 victory to help the Rams clinch their first bid to the Eastern Championship since the 1980's before contributing a goal in a win against Iona College in the semifinals to put Fordham into the division title game against Brown.

Versus Brown, the Rams fell to the Bears, 8-7, but Arat pumped in three goals for Fordham to raise his season scoring total to a team best 70 points, including 62 goals to rank second on the squad.

He becomes the first non-freshman to win the Rookie of the Week award in conference history as the awards honoring rookie players are applied to an athlete's first year of competition in the Collegiate Water Polo Association and in NCAA intercollegiate competition.