University of North Carolina Athletics
Four Tar Heels Earn Academic Recognition By ACC
February 11, 2004 | General
Feb. 11, 2004
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Twenty-six Atlantic Coast Conference scholar-athletes have been named recipients of the 2004 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarships, as announced by Commissioner John Swofford. The scholarships are given to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate-level degree following graduation. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to use towards his or her graduate education. Student-athletes receiving the award have performed with distinction both in the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, three student-athletes will receive Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Awards. These students will be recognized for their outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom throughout their collegiate careers and intend to compete in their respective sports at the Olympic or professional level.
The award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James as well as Gene Corrigan, past ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954 to 1970 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.
Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987 and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA national championships and two national football titles.
Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were given as separate honors. The Jim Weaver award, originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James award, beginning in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.
The following is a complete list of the Weaver-James-Corrigan scholars:
Clemson - Antonio L. Elliott (football); Allison C. Mitchell (soccer); Kanetra L. Queen (basketball); Duke - Leigh Anne Hardin (golf); Alex Wade (football); Brent Warner (track & field); Florida State - Anca Dumitrescu (tennis); Michael Paulus (swimming); Tonya K. Rasor (swimming); Georgia Tech - Kele Drew Eveland (volleyball); Hal Franklin Higgins (football); Marvin Anthony Lewis (basketball); Maryland - Emily Kathryn Marker (tennis); Sara Gina Silvetti (field hockey); North Carolina - Rebecca Dale Acker (swimming); Jessica Erin Perruquet (swimming); Alice Ann Schmidt (cross country & track); NC State - Megan Elizabeth Coombs (cross country & track); Adam Paul Kiker (football); Kristin Michelle Price (cross country & track); Virginia - Amy McParland Baly (swimming); Ian Marshall Prichard (swimming); Luke Eugene Wagner (swimming); Wake Forest - William Russell Hesmer (soccer); Weston Wyatt Saunders (soccer); Katherine Barden Winstead (soccer).
Recipients of the Weaver-James-Corrigan honorary awards follow: North Carolina - Jeb Barton Terry (football); Duke - Virada Nirapathpongporn (golf); Virginia - Jen Ann Reck (rowing).
The 29 student-athletes will be honored Tuesday, April 13, 2004, in Greensboro, N.C., at a luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis. The luncheon will be held at the Koury Convention Center.
Rebecca Dale Acker, University of North Carolina, Swimming
Three-time All-American (2001-03) ... Named All-ACC in 2001, 2002 and 2003 ... Seven-time North Carolina Dean's list selection ... Holds the second fastest times in North Carolina history in 100 and 200 breaststrokes ... Earned ACC Academic Honor Roll distinction three times.
Amy McParland Baly, University of Virginia, Swimming
Five-time honorable mention All-American ... 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier ... Three-time All-ACC selection as well as a three-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll ... Two-time College Swim Coaches Association of America All-Academic First Team selection (2001 and 2003) ... 2003 USA Swimming All-American in the 400 meter individual medley ... Received Virginia Intermediate Honors.
Megan Elizabeth Coombs, North Carolina State University, Cross Country and Track
Named All-American in 3,000 meter steeplechase in 2002 ... Earned All-ACC honors in outdoor track in 2002 in both 3,000 meter steeplechase and 5,000 meters ... Earned All-America honors in cross country in 2001 ... Four-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
Anca Dumitrescu, Florida State University, Tennis
A transfer from Virginia Commonwealth ... Number one starter for Florida State for the past three years ... 2003 All-ACC selection ... started the 2004 season ranked No. 63 in the country and tenth in the region ... Ranks tenth all-time on the Florida State single season win list after finishing 22-12 during her first year in Tallahassee in 2001-02 ... Earned the 2002 Golden Torch Award for highest grade point average among Florida State athletes.
Antonio L. Elliott, Clemson University, Football
egan his career as a walk-on to the Tiger football team in 1999 ... Team captain in 2003 ... Registered 35 receptions for 455 yards in his career, including 23 catches for 286 yards in his final season ... Named first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District in 2003 ... 2003 football first-team ACC All-Academic team member ... Two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Kele Drew Eveland, Georgia Institute of Technology, Volleyball
Named first-team All-America in 2003 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the first first-team All-America volleyball player in Georgia Tech and ACC history ... One of four finalists for the 2003-04 Honda Sports Award for volleyball ... 2003 ACC Player of the Year and three-time All-ACC selection ... Georgia Tech and ACC leader in career assists with 6,464, which ranks fourth in NCAA history ... Set an NCAA season record for assists in 2003 ... Led Georgia Tech to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a berth to the 2003 NCAA Final Eight and a final national ranking of No. 8.
Leigh Anne Hardin, Duke University, Golf
Three-time All-ACC selection ... 2002 National Golf Coaching Association second-team All-American ... NGCA honorable mention All-America in 2003 ... Member of 2002 & 2003 U.S. Curtis Cup Team ... Qualified to play in the U.S. Open the last three straight years ... Owns eight career top-five, 17 career top-10 and 26 career top-20 finishes ... Won four career tournaments ... Owns 32 career rounds of even or under par.
William Russell Hesmer, Wake Forest University, Soccer
Two-time first-team All-American and three-time All-ACC selection ... Third-team Verizon Academic All-American ... Wake Forest's all-time leader in goals against average and shutouts ... Three-time All-ACC honoree, including two first-team selections ... Drafted in the second round of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft by Kansas City.
Hal Franklin Higgins, Georgia Institute of Technology, Football
Three-year starter for Georgia Tech football team as holder who also started one year at punter ... 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-District III Football team ... Three-year member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll ... Graduated with Highest Honor, earning B.S. degree in Management in December 2002, and then played his final season while enrolled in graduate school ... Finalist for ESPN the Magazine/Football Writers Association of America Courage Award in recognition of his successful battle with Hodgkin's disease.
Adam Paul Kiker, North Carolina State University, Football
roke single-season NC State record with 56 PATs in 2003 ... Stands third in school history with 94 career PATs ... Ranks sixth in school history with 30 career field goals ... Finished 2003 ranked fifth in the ACC and 49th in the NCAA with 7.1 points per game ... ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient in 2001, 2002 and 2003 ... Named to the ACC All-Academic football team in 2001 and 2003 ... Three-time recipient of the annual Earle Edwards Award - presented to the student-athletes with the highest GPA on the NC State football team.
Marvin Anthony Lewis, Georgia Institute of Technology, Basketball
Four-year starter and two-time team captain for Georgia Tech's nationally-ranked basketball team, helping the team to its most successful season in a decade ... Named to the ACC All-Freshmen team in 2001, when he was a four-time selection as ACC Rookie of the Week ... Two-time member of the ACC All-Academic Basketball team and three-year member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll ... Career 1,000-point scorer who is one of the most accurate free throw shooters in Tech history at better than 85 percent ... Also one of the top three-point shooters in Tech annals, ranking in the top five in school history in career three-pointers.
Emily Kathryn Marker, University of Maryland, Tennis
Graduated in the winter of 2003 from Maryland's Robert H. Smith school of business with a degree in Decision and Information Systems with a perfect 4.0 grade point average ... Recognized with the University of Maryland President's Scholarship and the Lockheed Martin Scholarship from the Smith school ... Started the fall 2003 season ranked No. 77 nationally which qualified her to participate in the Riviera All-American ... In addition to the Riviera, Marker also made an appearance at the National Indoors ... This spring, Marker earned her highest career ranking of 44 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, after an outstanding fall season.
Allison C. Mitchell, Clemson University, Soccer
Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll three times ... Played in 84 matches and earned 83 starts ... finished her career with five goals and 11 assists for 21 points ... scored three game winning goals during her career ... named team's MVP in 2003 ... Member of the 2002 ACC All-Tournament team.
Virada Nirapathpongporn, Duke University, Golf
2002 NCAA Individual Champion ... 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Champion ... 2001, 2002 and 2003 NGCA first team All-American ... 2002 Honda Award winner as National Player of the Year ... 2002 and 2003 NGCA Academic All-American ... 2002 ACC Player of the Year ... 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year ... Three-time All-ACC selection ... Owns five career victories and 23 career top-ten finishes, which ranks tied for third in the Duke record books ... Owns 17 career top-five and 31 career top-20 finishes ... Tallied 45 career rounds of even or under par ... Played in the U.S. Women's Open the last two years.
Michael Paulus, Florida State University, Swimming
Three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient ... 2003 All-ACC selection ... Named the ACC Swimmer of the Week (January 5, 2004) ... Currently ranked 22nd in the nation in the 50 freestyle ... Member of the ACC champion 200 freestyle relay.
Jessica Erin Perruquet, University of North Carolina, Swimming
2003 NCAA Champion in 200 yard freestyle ... North Carolina school record holder in 200 yard freestyle ... Named to the 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA first-team Academic All-America team ... Garnered All-ACC and All-America honors in 2001, 2002 and 2003 ... Seven-time North Carolina Dean's List honoree and three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Kristin Michelle Price, North Carolina State University, Cross Country and Track
National Champion in the 10,000 meters in 2002 ... Six-time All-American in track ... Five-time ACC champion in track, the most by any NC State female athlete ... Two-time All-American in cross country ...
Finished fourth in cross country at the 2001 NCAA Championship ... Two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.
Ian Marshall Prichard, University of Virginia, Swimming
Ten-time All-American, including three first team selections ... 2001 ACC Swimmer of the Year as well as ACC Championship Meet Most Valuable Swimmer ... Holds Virginia and ACC record in the 500 freestyle (4:16.32) ... Accepted into Virginia's M.A./B.A. Program and is a candidate for a master's in English Literature and Language ... 2003 USA Swimming All-American in the 800 meter freestyle ... Three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.
Kanetra L. Queen, Clemson University, Basketball
Averaging 5.1 points and 1.5 assists per game this season ... Played in 97 games over her career, averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 assists as a Tiger ... Two-time selection to the ACC All-Academic Team (2002 and 2003) ... ACC Academic Honor Roll selection in 2002 ... served as Clemson's representative on the ACC's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Tonya K. Rasor, Florida State University, Swimming
Golden Spear Winner - overall grade point average of 4.0 during 2002-03 ... Three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll ... Member of the Florida State Dean's List ... Top 25 finish at the 2003 ACC championship ... Four-year letterwinner.
Jen Ann Reck, University of Virginia, Rowing
First-team All-South Region and All-America selection in 2002 and 2003 by Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association ... Earned All-ACC honors in 2003 ... National Scholar-Athlete in 2002 and 2003 (CRCA) ... Member of the ACC's 50th Anniversary Women's Rowing Team ... Member of Virginia's first varsity eight crew that won the ACC championship in that competition in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and was the conference Crew of the Year in 2002 and 2003 ... Three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Weston Wyatt Saunders, Wake Forest University, Soccer
Three-year starter at defender ... Played in three NCAA Tournaments ... Verizon Academic All-District III honoree ... helped the team to an undefeated regular season in 2002 ... Started on a defense that ranked second in the nation in 2002 ... Was a critical piece of Wake Forest's most successful three-year period in program history.
Alice Ann Schmidt, University of North Carolina, Cross Country and Track
Nine-time All-America selection ... 2002 and 2003 NCAA outdoor champion in the 800 meter race ... Member of the 2003 NCAA champion distance medley relay team ... Six-time member of the North Carolina Dean's List ... Holds both the North Carolina and ACC record in the 800 meter race (2:01.16) ... Set North Carolina women's outdoor records in three relays at the 2003 Penn Relays (distance medley relay, 4x800 and 4x1500).
Sara Gina Silvetti, University of Maryland, Field Hockey
Three-year letterwinner and 2003 team captain ... Starter in every game on defense, scoring seven goals and seven assists for 21 points ... Helped the Terrapins reach the NCAA Tournament semifinals in 2003, while also helping Maryland to a 20-4 overall record ... Named 2003 NFHCA second-team All-Mid-Atlantic Region after anchoring a defense which ranked fifth in the nation.
Jeb Barton Terry, University of North Carolina, Football
Played in the 2003 Senior Bowl, a post-season All-Star game that features the nation's top seniors ... First-team ACC All-Academic football selection ... Earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2003 ... Three-year starter and played in every game since the beginning of his sophomore year ... Named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week on October 25, 2003 ... Received a grade of 90 percent for his efforts at Clemson, where he had ten knockdown blocks and zero missed assignments as North Carolina rushed for 287 yards.
Alex Wade, Duke University, Football
Rushed 343 times for 1,546 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 55 passes for an additional 537 yards in his career ... Named second-team All-ACC and Duke's MVP as a junior in 2002 ... Tied for sixth on Duke's career chart for 100-yard rushing games (6) ... Presented with the Nan Keohane Award, an honor presented annually to the offensive player with the highest cumulative grade point average ... 2003 ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient ... 2002 ACC All-Academic football team selection and GTE Academic All-Region choice.
Luke Eugene Wagner, University of Virginia, Swimming
2003-04 Rhodes Scholar candidate ... Virginia men's swimming program record 13-time All-American (two-time first-team All-American) ... 2003 Pan American Games silver medalist in the 200 meter backstroke ... Ten-time ACC champion and ACC Rookie of the Year in 2001 ... Holds the school and ACC record in the 200 backstroke (1:42.67) and the school record in the 100 backstroke (48.08) ... Recipient of Virginia's 2002-03 Gray-Carrington Scholarship - a peer nominated award that is one of the most prestigious awards a Virginia undergraduate can receive.
rent Warner, Duke University, Track & Field
Earned All-America honors in the outdoor pole vault in 2003 ... 2003 IC4A Champion in indoor pole vault ... Three-time All-ACC performer (twice indoors, once outdoors) ... School record holder in the men's indoor and outdoor pole vault ... Became the first man in school history to clear over 17 feet in the indoor pole vault.
Katherine Barden Winstead, Wake Forest University, Soccer
Made 82 appearances in a Wake Forest uniform ... Led the team with nine goals in 2002 ... Tallied 13 goals and 12 assists in her career, both rank in the top ten in Wake Forest history ... Named All-ACC in 2002 ... Selected to Soccer Buzz's All-Southeast second team in 2002 and third team in 2003 ... Earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshmen team in 2000.
