Six UVa Student-Athletes Named To 2009-10 VaSID Academic All-State Team

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CHARLOTTESVILLE – Six Virginia student-athletes were named to the Academic All-State team, as announced by the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) today. Seniors Mei Christensen (swimming and diving), Steve Delice (track and field), Lauren Dickson (volleyball) and Jerome Meyinsse (men’s basketball), in addition to junior Catherine White (cross country) and sophomore Danny Hultzen (baseball) were honored by the organization for their performances in both the classroom and in competition.

Christensen repeated as the ACC Swimmer of the Year in 2010 and was also tabbed the conference’s scholar-athlete of the year for women’s swimming and diving. The Reston, Va., native defended her ACC individual titles in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events and claimed league championships with the 200 free, 200 medley and 400 medley relay teams. She went on to pick up All-America honors in the 100 back, 200 back, 200 free relay, 400 free relay and 400 medley relay at the NCAA Championships. Christensen was a recipient of the ACC’s Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarship and was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll four times.

Delice, born in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, wrapped up his collegiate track and field career with one season of outdoor eligibility for the Cavaliers and earned a master’s degree in educational psychology. A 2009 graduate of Coppin State, Delice was a 2007 All-American in the 400m hurdles and a 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American while competing for the Eagles. This year for UVa, Delice advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles and finished runner-up in the event at the ACC Championships. He also won the Lou Onesty Invitational and his second IC4A Championship in the 400m hurdles, in addition to the 100m at the Mason Quadrangular. Delice holds both Coppin State’s (50.24) and Virginia’s (50.02) program records in the 400m hurdles, in addition to the Haiti national record – running 50.02 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA East Preliminary Round.

Dickson, a commerce major from Austin, Texas, became the 14th Virginia volleyball player to tally at least 1,000 kills throughout her career. The outside hitter is a three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree and three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member, in addition to being named to the VaSID Academic All-State team twice. A two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first-team honoree, Dickson garnered two tournament MVP honors during her career and another all-tournament team accolade – being named the MVP of the Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup (2009) and JMU Days Inn Invitational (2008), and to Nebraska’s Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team (2009). She was also tabbed the ACC Player of the Week on Oct. 6, 2008.

Hultzen, hailing from Bethesda, Md., has yet to declare a major. The sophomore went 11-1 with an ACC-low 2.78 earned run average in 2010. In 106.2 innings, he allowed 75 hits and 24 walks while striking out 123. Opponents hit just .193 against him this year. Hultzen became Virginia’s first ACC Pitcher of the Year and was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2010. He also was a unanimous All-America selection by all of the major publications. Hultzen was consistently strong all season and pitched at least six innings in 14 of his 16 starts.

Meyinsse majored in economics with a minor in math. The Baton Rouge, La., native was the 2010 recipient of the Skip Prosser Award, given annually to the top ACC men’s basketball student-athlete. A three-time ACC All-Academic Team honoree, he received one of the ACC’s Weaver-James-Corrigan scholarships. On the court, Meyinsse had a breakout senior season, starting 23 games and averaging career highs of 6.5 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. He also led the team with 23 blocked shots in 2009-10.

White, a junior biology major from Roanoke, Va., finished fourth for Virginia at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to earn All-America honors and become the highest finisher for the Cavaliers since Lesley Welch won the national title in 1982. She also won the 2009 NCAA Southeast Region Title – becoming the program’s first-ever individual regional champion – and earned Southeast Region Athlete of the Year honors for her accomplishments, another first for Virginia. At the ACC Championships, White finished runner-up to earn her first All-ACC honor and was later named a Honda Sports Award finalist for cross country. She was also honored on the All-ACC Academic Team.

To be recognized, a student-athlete must have earned at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA and achieved sophomore status. The complete list of 119 athletes follows.

2009-10 VaSID Academic All-State Team

Apprentice School
Matt Perry, Wrestling, Sr., Chesapeake, Va.
Will Johnson, Baseball, Sr., Hampton, Va.
Nick Carlson, Golf, Jr., Mathews, Va.
Joseph Saunders, Golf, So., Carrollton, Va.
Andrew Balarabe, Football, Jr., Laurel,. Md.
Ramone Jones, Football, Jr., Painesville, Oh.

Bridgewater
Christina Rhodes, Women’s Track, Jr., Dayton, Va.
Drew Elkins, Baseball, Sr., Lynchburg, Va.
Emily Morris, Softball, Jr., Powhatan, Va.
Angela Spinelli, Softball, Jr., Ocala, Fla.
Leah Cossentino, Softball/Field Hockey, Jr., Marriottsville, Md.
Kalah Hess, Field Hockey, Jr., Lancaster, Pa.

Christopher Newport
Jacob Capin, Basketball, Jr., Gloucester, Va.
Barbara Davis, Basketball, So., Catharpin, Va.
Brooke Rowe, Track & Field, Jr., Yorktown, Va.
Kristin Nickloy, Softball, Jr., Dale City, Va.
John Corser, Soccer, Jr., Burke, Va.
Kenneth Hall, Football, Sr., King William, Va.

Eastern Mennonite
Michelle Leaman, Track, Sr., Broadway, Va.
Mary Dunn, Soccer, Dr., Dalton, Oh.
Karissa Sauder, Field Hockey, Sr., Lancaster, Pa.
Elisa Troyer, Volleyball, Jr., Harrisonburg, Va.
Ben Shank, Soccer, Sr., W. Liberty, Oh.
Christine Bottles, Volleyball, Sr., Williamsburg, Va.

Emory & Henry
Rachel Preston, Women’s Soccer, Sr., Abingdon, Va.
William Garrison, Men’s Tennis, Sr., Abingdon, Va.
Andrew Giordani, Football, Sr., Woodstock, Va.
Samantha Lucado, Volleyball, Jr., Salem, Va.
Jake Rea, Football, Sr., Charlotte, NC

George Mason
Becky Anderson, Softball, Sr., Oakton, Va.
Brandon Bucher, Wrestling, Jr., Dillsburg, Pa.
Richard Edgar, Men’s Soccer., Sr., Mechanicsville, Md.
Eric Knight, Swimming/Diving, RS Sr., Centreville, Va.
Angelee LaTouche, Women’s Basketball, RS Jr., Kingston, Jamaica
Hannah Sklar, Women’s Soccer, Sr., Massapequa, NY

James Madison
Lindsay Callahan, Volleyball, Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.
Kelsey Cutchins, Field Hockey, Sr., Suffolk, Va.
Mike Fabiaschi, Baseball, Sr., Torrington, Conn.
Teresa Rynier, Women’s Soccer, Jr., Leola, Pa.
Courtney Simons, Softball, Sr., Richmond, Va.
Dixon Wright, Football, So., Crossnore, N.C.

Liberty
Jeremy Anderson, Men’s Basketball, RS So., Bowling Green, Ky.
Jordan Jenkins, Women’s Tennis, Jr., Sarasota, Fla.
Rebekah Ricksecker, Women’s Track & Field, RS Sr., Laurel, Del.
Chris Rocco, Football, Sr., Forest, Va.
Louis Steyn, Men’s Tennis, Sr., Bloemfontein, South Africa
Rachel Wisehart, Women’s Soccer, Sr., Concord, NC

Longwood
Amy Betterton, Softball, Sr., Rocky Mount, Va.
Billy Heird, Men’s Tennis, Sr., York, Pa.
Tia Nardella, Women’s Soccer, Sr., Brookline, Mass.
Laura Simon, Women’s Tennis, Sr., Barcelona, Spain
David Smiy, Jr., Baseball, Sr., ChesterField, Va.
Michael Young, Men’s Golf, Jr., Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Lynchburg
Ashley Allen, Women’s Track, Jr., Richmond, Va.
Lauren Duguay, Softball, Sr., Williamsburg, Va.
Ricky Flynn, Men’s Cross Country/Track, Sr., Lynchburg, Va.
Molly Galloway, Women’s Cross Country, Jr., Fairfax, Va.
Stephen Legg, Men’s Soccer, Sr., Newport News, Va.
Ashley Meyer, Women’s Cross Country/Track, Sr., Springfield, Mo.

Norfolk State
Casey Pomeroy, Softball, So., Fallon, Nev.
Ryan Hathaway, Football, Jr., Charlotte Court House, Va.
Brett Dodd, Track, Sr., San Antonio, Tex.
Brianeisha Eure, Softball, Sr., Va. Beach, Va.
Cameron Parsons, Baseball, Jr., Chesapeake, Va.
Juan Herrera, Baseball, Jr., Santiago, Dominican Republic

Old Dominion
Elizaveta Moiseeva, Swimming & Diving, Sr., Moscow, Russia
Steffen Rabben, Men’s Soccer, Sr., Fagernes, Valdres, Norway
James Nicholson, Wrestling, Jr., Des Moines, Iowa
Trian Iliadis, Men’s Basketball, So., Perth, W. Australia
Mairi Buchan, Women’s Basketball, So., Stirlingshire, Scotland
Ashley Kellogg, Women’s Lacrosse, Sr., Downingtown, Pa

Radford
Brittany Christian, Women’s Cross Country/Track, Sr., Cary, NC
Igor Ogrizek, Men’s Tennis, So., Daruvar, Croatia
Phillip Martin, Men’s Basketball, Sr., Roanoke, Va.
Chelsea Kelley, Softball, Jr., Roanoke, Va.
Jason Patten, Baseball, So., Davidsonville, Md.
Maggie Watts, Women’s Golf, So., Paris, Ky.

Shenandoah
Greg VanSickler, Baseball, Jr., Stephenson, Va.
Kevin Brashears, Baseball, Jr., Hagerstown, Md.
Kevin Kline, Basketball, Jr., Waynesboro, Pa.
Brandi Sobanko, XC/Track, Jr., New Market, Va.
Ashley Plaugher, Softball, Jr., Winchester, Va.
Paola Aguilar, Field Hockey/W Lacrosse, Jr., Fairfax, Va.

Sweet Briar
Laura Jett, Volleyball, Sr., Littleton, Co.
Kathryn Alexander, Soccer, Jr., Asheville, NC
Felicia McGuire, Swimming, So., Pelham, Al.
Alex St. Pierre, Field Hockey, So., S. Hamilton, Ma.
Kelsey Smith, Swimming, Jr., Gainesville, Va.
Helen Phillips, Soccer, Sr., Lynchburg, Va.

University of Mary Washington
Justin Anderson, Men’s Swimming, Sr., Oakton, Va.
Nina Michelle Sawyer, Women’s Swimming, Sr., Warrenton, Va.
Lindsey Scott, Volleyball, Sr., Altavista, Va.
Rebecca Presor, Equestrian, So., Leesburg, Va.
Jackson Clement, Baseball, Jr., Fairfax, Va.
Courtney Goimarac, Women’s Tennis, Jr., Hudson, Oh.

Virginia
Mei Christensen, Swimming/Diving, Sr., Reston, Va.
Steve Delice, Track & Field, Gr., Brooklyn, NY
Lauren Dickson, Volleyball, Sr., Austin, Tex.
Danny Hultzen, Baseball, So., Bethesda, Md.
Jerome Meyinsse, Basketball, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.
Catherine White, Cross Country, Jr., Roanoke, Va.

Virginia Intermont
Ben Mulkey, Men’s Basketball, So., Richlands, Va.
Natascha Carlucci, Softball, So., Yorktown, Va.
Kristen dyer, Softball, Jr., Rogersville, Tn.
Ashley Fields, Softball, So., Blountville, Tn.
Kellie Porter, Softball, So., Virginia Beach, Va.
Tricia Dygert, Volleyball, Jr., Sarasota, Fla.

VMI
Audrey Falconi, Women’s Soccer, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.
Sean McCoy, Lacrosse, Sr., Hudson, Oh.
Hannah Granger, Women’s Track/Cross Country, Jr.,
Adam Kruithof, Baseball, Jr., Charlottesville, Va.
Sonny Landry, Men’s Soccer, Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.
Angela Remond, Women’s Soccer, Jr., Fairfax Station, Va.

Virginia Tech
Trey Stewart, Men’s Swimming, Jr., Luling, La.
Matej Muza, Men’s Track, Sr., Zagreb, Croatia
Ben Rowan, Baseball, Sr., Ranchos Palos Verdes, Calif.
Martha Blakely, Women’s Tennis, So., Reading, Pa.
Kelly Phillips, Women’s Track, RS Jr., Blacksburg, Va.
Kristi Castlin, Women’s Track, Sr., Douglasville, Ga.