The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- July 5, 1999

Perfection links GTE spring men's, women's at-large teams

Student-athletes who excelled on the playing fields and courts and who also maintained perfect grade-point averages highlight this year's GTE Academic All-America Spring Men's and Women's At-Large Teams, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Louisiana State University tennis player Tom Hand, the Southeastern Conference regular-season and postseason tournament champion, was one of seven male student-athletes named who had perfect GPAs. Hand, a political science major, was named the GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in the university division, which goes to the person who "best represents the qualities of an Academic All-America Team Member."

The six other first team members with perfect GPAs were Kevin Betts of Georgia Institute of Technology (track and field), Jeff Brink of Western Michigan University (tennis), Dave Emanuelson of Northern Illinois University (golf), Neophytos Kalogerou of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (track and field), Joey Pitts of the University of Georgia (tennis) and Calvin Thigpen of the University of Mississippi (track and field). Thigpen, who earlier was named an NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship winner, also made the first team in the fall/winter at-large squad announced earlier this year.

The Team Member of the Year in the men's college division was track standout Jason Hilt of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, who led his team to its second straight Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II title. Hilt also sported a perfect grade-point average in elementary education.

Two other members of the college division had perfect GPAs: Robby Lane of Northwest Missouri State (track and field) and Mark Stillwell of Greensboro College (golf).

In the women's university division, tennis standout Dora Djilianova from California State University, Fresno, was named the Team Member of the Year. The squad also featured two tennis players from NCAA Division I runner-up Florida -- Stephanie Nickitas, a marketing and management major, and M.C. White, a junior majoring in sociology and criminology.

Emporia State University's Deandra Doubrava was the Team Member of the Year in the college division. Doubrava, a health and early childhood education major, won the 100-yard hurdles in this year's Division II Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Three student-athletes from Gustavus Adolphus College also made the first team -- Kirsten Bland (track and field), April Felt (track and field) and Tammy Williams (golf).

The GTE Academic All-America Teams are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. Nominees are varsity starters or key reserves who maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.200 (4.000 scale).

Following is a complete list of the 1999 GTE Academic All-America Spring Men's and Women's At-Large Teams:

Men's university division

First team

Chris Bender, Rhode Island, tennis, ocean engineering; Kevin Betts, Georgia Tech, track and field, mechanical engineering; Jeff Brink, Western Michigan, tennis, biomedical sciences; Jamie Broce, Ball State, golf, finance; Jonathan Byrd, Clemson, golf, marketing; Adam Connolly, Stanford, track and field, English; Dave Emanuelson, Northern Illinois, golf, finance and economics; Keith Hall, South Carolina, track and field, premedicine; Tom Hand, LSU, tennis, political science; Neophytos Kalogerou, Southern Illinois, track and field, business management; Oscar Lopez, UMBC, tennis, mechanical engineering; Joey Pitts, Georgia, tennis, biology; Brian Reinking, St. Francis (Pennsylvania), volleyball, English and secondary education; Robert Samuelsson, Tulane, tennis, chemical engineering; Calvin Thigpen, Mississippi, track and field, chemistry and mathematics.

Second team

Jeremy Anderson, UNLV, golf, business management; Daniel Andersson, Virginia Commonwealth, tennis, sociology and anthropology; Michael Brown, Notre Dame, track and field, science preprofessional; Oliver Freelove, Illinois, tennis, finance; Jim Gardas, Charleston Southern, golf, mathematics; Dave Geesaman, Delaware, track and field, mechanical engineering; Russell Johnson, Tennessee, track and field, exercise science; Michael Lindskog, Western Kentucky, tennis, German and economics; Tony Mazzullo, Penn State, volleyball, kinesiology; Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech, golf, management; Jonas Samuelsson, LSU, tennis, operations management; Steve Schell, Michigan State, track and field, electrical engineering; Josh Sims, Princeton, lacrosse, economics; Staffan Strand, Minnesota, track and field, computer engineering; Jakub Teply, Illinois, tennis, industrial engineering.

Third team

Daniel Blochwitz, Eastern Kentucky, track and field, photography; Brad Fritsch, Campbell, golf, criminal justice; Troy Gorman, Cornell, lacrosse, nutritional sciences; Christian Haar, Manhattan, track and field, business; Matt Hartman, St. Francis (Pennsylvania), track and field, English; Ron Hess, Bucknell, track and field, electrical engineering; Jerome Jourdon, South Carolina, tennis, business administration; Chris Maier, California, track, political science; Kunj Majmudar, Harvard, tennis, engineering sciences; Neil Mason, Long Beach State, volleyball, communication studies; Jeff Nord, Brown, track and field, engineering; Timothy Surface, Tulsa, track and field, management information systems; Asaf Tishler, UNLV, tennis, hotel management; Nils Wiklund, Northern Arizona, track and field, civil engineering; Billy Williamson, Akron, golf, finance.

Women's university division

First team

Sarah Blossom, Eastern Kentucky, track and field, occupational therapy; Felice Chow, Miami (Florida), rowing, microbiology and immunology; Mallory Crosland, Vanderbilt, golf, economics; Dora Djilianova, Fresno State, tennis, business; Gladys Ganiel, Providence, track, political science; Elena Gomez, LaSalle, track, social work; Cheryl Haslag, Southwest Missouri State, track and field, health promotion and wellness; Heather Howard, Rice, track and field, biology and managerial studies; Kate Landau, Georgetown, track and field, biology and psychology; Anne McDonough, George Washington, rowing, marketing; Stephanie Nickitas, Florida, tennis, marketing and management; Christy Otte, Montana State, track and field, studio art; Melissa Price, Fresno State, track and field, business administration; Jen Stocker, Mount St. Mary's, lacrosse, business; Anousjka Van Exel, Tulsa, tennis, exercise science; Kate Wallace, St. Francis (Pennsylvania), track, mathematics and secondary education; Vanessa Webb, Duke, tennis, economics and French; M.C. White, Florida, tennis, sociology and criminology.

Second team

Megan Breen, Mississippi, golf, banking and finance; Kerry Callahan, Notre Dame, lacrosse, communications; Samantha Chesson, McNeese State, track and field, accounting; Annica Cooper, UCLA, tennis, business economics; Kristin Ehst, Vanderbilt, lacrosse, biology; Michelle Fournier, South Carolina, track and field, business; Carrie Hoblet, Ohio State, track and field, human nutrition; Tamarra Jenkin, Georgia Tech, tennis, industrial and systems engineering; Candace Mason, Kansas, track and field, sports science; Lindsey Miller, Missouri, track and field, accounting; Andrea Neary, Arizona, track and field, prephysiological science; Sarna Renfro, Stanford, track and field, human biology; Anna Widen, Northern Illinois, tennis, finance; Emily Woodside, Tennessee, tennis, exercise science.

Third team

Karolina Bakalarova, Southern California, tennis, business administration; Stacey Carpenter, Vanderbilt, track and field, molecular biology; Justyna Gudzowska, Rice, tennis, German and economics; Jennifer Hall, Notre Dame, tennis, accounting; Vanessa Kerry, Yale, lacrosse, molecular, cellular and developmental biology; Alison Klemmer, Notre Dame, track and field, biology; Diane Marks, Harvard, rowing, government; Hilary Meyer, Colgate, lacrosse, psychology; Anne Smith, Holy Cross, lacrosse, chemistry; Carla Sudbeck, Drake, track and field, rhetoric and Spanish; Julie Sweitzer, Bucknell, track and field, mechanical engineering; Melissa Uglow, Penn State, track and field, secondary education; Jolene Williams, Coastal Carolina, track and field, psychology.

Men's college division

First team

Micah Benson, Concordia-Moorhead, track and field, biology; Conor Civins, Emory, tennis, political science; Charles Haben, Augustana (Illinois), track, and field, mathematics and secondary education; Matt Hagen, Missouri-Rolla, track and field, biological sciences; Jason Hilt, Kutztown, track and field, elementary education; Jason Hobbs, Bentley, track and field, finance; Robby Lane, Northwest Missouri State, track and field, geography; Greg Michael, Concordia-Moorhead, track and field, theology; Steve Michmerhuizen, Calvin, track and field, religion; Brian Moorman, Pittsburg State, track, history and education; Mike Pockoski, Worcester Polytechnic, track and field, civil engineering; Scott Riggle, Indianapolis, tennis, English; Chris Schaeffer, Loras, track and field, international business; Marc Sondreal, North Dakota, track and field, physical therapy; Mark Stillwell, Greensboro, golf, business administration.

Second team

Patrick Bartlett, Wingate, tennis, business administration; Shane Bell, Lake Forest, tennis, mathematics and economics; Rob Dixon, Bloomsburg, tennis, marketing; Michael Doyle, Washington (Missouri), tennis, economics and finance; Matt Hickl, Texas A&M-Kingsville , track and field, finance; Matt Hoyt, South Dakota, track and field, biology; Justin Jones, Widener, lacrosse, mechanical engineering; David Litman, Indianapolis, tennis, business administration; Mathias Lundmark, Hawaii-Pacific, tennis, business administration; Eric Nigh, Denison, track and field, philosophy, politics, economics and German; Steve Olex, Franklin & Marshall, tennis, science and philosophy/studies of the mind/prehealing arts; Ian Pitha-Rowe, Haverford, lacrosse, chemistry and biochemistry; Johan Sandblom, Hawaii-Pacific, tennis, business administration; Josh Shellenberger, Lebanon Valley, tennis, biology and premedicine; Ben Wright, Albany (New York), track and field, business administration.

Third team

Travis Anderson, Millikin, golf, premedicine; Josh Burek, Principia, track and field, political science and economics; Eric Chen, MIT, tennis, electrical engineering; Philip Klotzbach, Bridgewater State (Massachusetts), tennis, geography, Kristo Kriechbaum, Carnegie Mellon, track and field, mechanical engineering; Jay Mellentine, Augustana (Illinois), golf, accounting and business; Kevin O'Donnell, Coe, tennis, business administration; Kyle Cooper Pifer, Francis Marion, track and field, mathematics; Gene Pyo, MIT, lacrosse, architecture; Jeevan Ramakrishnan, Trinity (Tex.), tennis, philosophy; Erik Sandblom, Hawaii-Pacific, tennis, marketing; Mike Schramm, Muskingum, golf, mathematics and computer science; Phil Sikkenga, Calvin, track, business administration; Damien Spates, Findlay, track and field, business administration; Joe Vuotto, Pace, lacrosse, elementary education.

Women's college division

First team

Kirsten Bland, Gustavus Adolphus, track and field, history and English; Monica Bradley, Drew, lacrosse, religious studies; Amy Cayouette, Ithaca, rowing, athletic training; Deandra Doubrava, Emporia State, track and field, health and early childhood education; Cindy Farris, Angelo State, track and field, mathematics; April Felt, Gustavus Adolphus, track and field, mathematics and classics; Patti Franckowiak, Wisconsin-La Crosse, track and field, biology; Heather Hoyle, Missouri Southern State, track and field, biology; Amy Koontz, Bloomsburg, tennis, political science; Kareen Kreutziger, Rochester, lacrosse, biology and medical engineering; Kate L'Armand, Widener, track and field, psychology and premedicine; Codi Lehr, North Dakota State, track and field, pharmacy; Julie Mavity, Abilene Christian, tennis, history; Heather O'Brien, Colorado College, track and field, political science; Tammy Williams, Gustavus Adolphus, golf, computer science and mathematics.

Second team

Lisa Cave, Florida Southern, golf, sports management; Betsy Colby, Macalester, tennis, chemistry; Kathy Crowe, Angelo State, track and field, kinesiology; Kim Deaton, Carthage, track and field, chemistry; Jenny Fiedler, Wisconsin-La Crosse, track and field, biology; Sarah Gritter, Calvin, track and field, mathematics; Jaimee Heffner, Washington and Jefferson, track and field, psychology and sociology; Monica Hostetler, Anderson (Indiana), track and field, psychology and physical education; Katie Jorgenson, St. Catherine, track and field, mathematics; Emily Richard, Washington (Missouri), track and field, English; Christine Roe, Nazareth, lacrosse, business and economics; Kinga Slowinska, Worcester State, track and field, occupational therapy; Karen Smidt, Northern Colorado, track and field, English education; Jill Theeler, North Dakota State, track and field, business administration.

Third team

Brooke Andrews, Ithaca, lacrosse, athletic training; Christine Axley-Albright, Pacific Lutheran, track and field, nursing; Jessie Coughlin, Moravian, tennis, economics; Heidi Freund, Baldwin-Wallace, tennis, music education; Tracey Gage, Methodist, golf, physical education; Jenna Gruben, Ithac,a lacrosse, speech and language pathology and audiology; Anna Hallbergson, Barry, tennis, premedicine and biology; Shannon Lakatosh, Baldwin-Wallace, track and field, education; Carrie Miller, Widener, track and field, chemistry; Michaela Perlikova, Central Oklahoma, tennis, business; Sarah Reigner, Franklin & Marshall, lacrosse, American studies; Jennifer Richey, Loras, track and field, sports science; Tracy Sadowski, MIT, lacrosse, chemical engineering; Casey Taylor, Christopher Newport, track and field, English; Heather Thorstad, Greensboro, lacrosse, English and French; Laura Utke, Concordia-Moorhead, track and field, physical education, health and psychology; Londa Vander Wal, South Dakota State, track and field, animal and food science.