Daavettila, Gray Earn Academic All-District Honor

Two Tar Heel academic and athletic standouts have earned 2020-21 Academic All-District® honors, as announced recently by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Sara Daavettila of women's tennis and Chris Gray of men's lacrosse were named to the District 3 teams, which include student-athletes from Division I schools in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Both are now candidates for Academic All-America honors, to be announced in early August.

Daavettila, a communication studies major from Williamston, Mich., was the recipient of the 2021 Honda Sport Award for women's tennis. She ranks second in program history with 149 career singles victories and the only player in program history – and just the fourth from an ACC program – to reach the NCAA Singles Quarterfinals on three occasions. She was the 2021 ACC Player of the Year and a seven-time ITA All-America selection while helping UNC to four ACC Championships.

A member of three ITA National Team Indoor Championships and the 2019 ITA Fall National Championship singles titlist, Daavettila holds the distinction of being the only player to receive the ITA Indoor Tournament Most Outstanding Player on more than one occasion.

Gray, a management & society major from Wading River, N.Y., was honored as the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and the ACC Men's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A consensus first-team All-America selection and a top-five finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as player of the year., he is the first Tar Heel to be named USILA Lt. Col. J.I. (Jack) Turnbull Outstanding Attackman of the Year. He set a program for points in a season with 91, breaking a mark that had stood since 1973, and helped lead UNC to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2016. An ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, he will begin working toward his MBA at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School this fall.

The at-large teams include the sports of beach volleyball, bowling, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, rowing, skiing, swimming/diving, tennis, men's volleyball, water polo and wrestling.

For the full All-District at-large teams, click here.

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Sara Daavettila

Chris Gray

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