Women's basketball standouts Ruth Riley of the University of Notre Dame and Emily Bloss of Emporia State University, last year's women's basketball players of the year in Divisions I and II, have been named the 2000-01 national Verizon Academic All-America Team Members of the Year.

Riley, a center, averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game, leading the Irish to a 34-2 record and the Division I national championship. She was the first Notre Dame player ever named the Naismith Women's Player of the Year and was a unanimous Associated Press first-team all-American. She also recently was named an NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient after earning her bachelor's degree in psychology and graduating in May. She was selected by the Sol in the first round (No. 5 overall) of the WNBA draft.

Bloss, a forward majoring in health promotion and who also graduated in May, averaged 21 points and eight rebounds per game, leading her team to a 29-2 record. She finished second on Emporia State's career scoring list with 1,915 points and scored in double figures in 99 of 129 career games. She is working as a mother's helper in New Jersey and is planning on pursuing a graduate degree in health promotion.

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