University of North Carolina Athletics
Six Tar Heels Earn Academic All-District Honors
May 22, 2008 | General
May 22, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Six North Carolina student-athletes have earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors, as announced Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Barden Berry (men's golf) and Rachel Dawson (field hockey) earned at-large first-team honors and now are eligible for Academic All-America recognition. Fletcher Gregory (men's lacrosse), Philip Owen (men's swimming), Heather Kendell (field hockey) and Kara Wright (gymnastics) were named to the men's and women's at-large second teams. All were seniors during the 2007-08 school year except Wright, a sophomore.
The Academic All-District at-large teams are open to student-athletes from the sports of women's bowling, women's crew, men's and women's fencing, field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's skiing, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo and wrestling. To be a candidate for the honor, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve and must carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better. First and second teams in University and College divisions were announced Thursday for eight districts across the U.S. After another round of voting among those named to the first teams, Academic All-America teams will be announced on June 10 (men) and 12 (women).
erry, a psychology major from Kinston, N.C., earned second-team Academic All-District recognition last year. A starter in all 10 tournaments in 2007-08, he is part of UNC's honors program and a recipient of the Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award and the McCaskill Award, given for excellence in athletics, scholarship and community service. A member of Phi Beta Kappa honorary society, he carries a 3.88 grade point average.
Dawson, a business major from Berlin, N.J., graduated with distinction in December after leading Carolina to NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference championships and an undefeated season. She received the Honda Award as national player of the year and her No. 9 jersey has been retired. Named ACC Scholar-Athlete for field hockey, she finished her UNC career with a 3.63 GPA and now plays full-time for the U.S. Field Hockey National Team. She recently was named Player of the Tournament as the squad qualified for this summer's Olympic Games.
oth Berry and Dawson are recipients of the Carolina Leadership Academy's highest honor, the Three-Dimensional Leader Award.
Gregory, a history and business double major from Charlotte, attended UNC on a Morehead-Cain Scholarship, the school's most prestigious academic grant. A finalist for the men's lacrosse Senior CLASS Award, he started eight of 13 games during the 2008 season and helped his team to a No. 4 seed, the highest since 1996, in this year's NCAA Tournament. He has been named to the All-ACC Academic team and has a GPA of 3.68.
Kendell, who is from Chapel Hill, graduated with distinction in December after earning double major in biology and exercise and sport science. As a senior, she was a key reserve on the Carolina's 24-0 field hockey squad and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa the day after the Tar Heels won the NCAA title. The recipient of an ACC Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship, Kendell is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and graduated with a 3.76 GPA. She was named to the Academic All-District second team for the second year in a row.
Owen, a journalism major from Scottsdale, Ariz., with a 3.45 GPA, was a 2008 ACC finalist and NCAA qualifier in three events. He finished his career ranked in the top 10 in school history in three events - 500 free (9th), 1000 free (6th) and 1650 free (6th). A recipient of the team's Blue Dolphin Award for service to the program, he twice was honored as the squad's most improved swimmer and was named to the All-ACC Academic team.
Wright, a journalism major from Virginia Beach, earned 2008 first-team all-conference honors in vault, balance beam, floor exercise and all-around. She won the floor exercise at the 2008 George Washington Invitational and the vault at the 2008 Governor's Cup. Wright twice has been named to the East Atlantic Gymnastics League All-Academic Team and carries a 3.98 GPA.
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District At-Large Teams
Men's District 3 Winners
University Division
FIRST TEAM
Kevin Nead (Florida, Sr., 3.97); Barden Berry (UNC, Sr., 3.88); Geoff Handsfield (East Carolina, Sr., 3.97); Joseph Kapurch (Georgia, Sr., 3.97); Ben Rubeor (Virginia, Sr., 3.56); Jonas Enander Hedin (Charlotte, Sr., 3.75); Sandy Franz (South Carolina-Upstate, Sr., 3.90); Max Quinzani (Duke, So., 3.62); Phillip Compeau (Davidson, Sr., 3.96); Andrew An (Mercer, Sr., 3.89); Peter Truszkowski (Duke, Jr., 3.70)
SECOND TEAM
Jurrian van der Vaart (Virginia Tech, Sr., 3.81); Markus Leandersson (East Carolina, Jr., 4.0); Drew Weaver (Virginia Tech, Jr., 3.21); Fletcher Gregory (UNC, Sr., 3.68); Brian Harman (Georgia, Jr., 3.69); Alex Israel (VCU, Sr., 3.89); Philip Owen (UNC, Sr., 3.45); David Goulet (Duke, Sr., 3.65); Nestor Briceno (Florida, Sr., 3.66); Matt Turner (VMI, Sr., 3.71); Brendan Gielow (Wake Forest, So., 3.67)
Women's District 3 Winners
University Division
FIRST TEAM
Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech, Sr., 4.00); Amanda Blumenherst (Duke, Jr. 3.78); Diana Martinez (South Carolina-Update, Sr., 4.00); Karen Guilkey (Georgia, Sr., 3.94); Rachel Dawson (UNC, Sr., 3.63); Jessica Botzum (Virginia Tech, Sr., 3.57); Cassandra Price (Radford, Sr., 4.00); Grace Taylor (Georgia, So., 3.98); Kelsey Cutchins (James Madison, So., 3.91); Courtney Kupets (Georgia, Jr., 3.82)
SECOND TEAM
Kara Wright (UNC, So., 3.98); Heather Kendell (UNC, Sr., 3.76); Ashley Shepard (NC State, Jr., 4.00); Klaudyna Kasztelaniec (William & Mary, Jr., 3.95); Gemma Spofforth (Florida, So., 3.39); Laura Gioia (Furman, Jr., 3.82); Hannah Priest (East Carolina, Sr., 3.98); Mateja Podgorsek (Georgia State, Sr., 3.98); Caroline Westrup (FSU, Jr., 3.69); Viktoria Konstantinova (VCU, Sr., 3.97); Sara Smith (Virginia Tech, Jr., 3.83)
Players Mentioned
