Aggie tennis players earn academic honors

LAWTON, Okla. (May 26) – Three members of the Cameron University tennis team have been selected to this year’s ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District teams, according to information released Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Seniors Alex Furlan and Jorge Zabriodiec were named to the District VI College Division Men’s At-Large Academic All-District squad, while senior Taylor Ivie earned Academic All-District honors on the women’s side.

A native of Motta di Livenza, Italy, Furlan helped lead the Aggie men to an impressive 22-4 overall record this season while playing primarily in the No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles slots. He compiled a 14-7 singles record and was 9-13 in doubles play while helping coach James Helvey’s squad climb as high as No. 17 in the NCAA Division II national rankings this season. Furlan, who was a second-team All-Lone Star Conference selection as a junior last season, won the No. 4 singles flight at the 2004 LSC fall individual championships and is a two-time LSC All-Academic pick.

Zabrodiec was also 14-7 in singles play this season for the Aggies and posted a 2-0 record in limited doubles action. The Asuncion, Paraguay, native helped the Aggies reach the semifinals of both the LSC postseason tournament and the NCAA II Central Region championships this spring, after the team finished the regular season ranked No. 24 nationally and No. 3 in the region. Of Cameron’s four men’s tennis losses this season, three came against nationally ranked teams – including both postseason losses. The Aggies’ fourth loss was an early-season setback to Division I Oklahoma.

Ivie won 11 of her final 12 completed regular-season singles matches and finished with a singles record of 18-6, playing primarily at the No. 5 position. At No. 3 doubles, the Corsicana, Texas, product finished 18-11 while helping the Lady Aggies to a No. 34 national ranking and an overall record of 22-7. The Lady Aggies also reached the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference championships and the NCAA II Central Region championships. Ivie was an LSC All-Academic pick this season and was a two-time NJCAA All-American in both singles and doubles at Tyler (Texas) Junior College prior to joining the Cameron tennis program in 2003.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District At-Large Team is open to student-athletes participating in a variety of sports ranging from swimming to golf. To be eligible, the nominee must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). The nominee also must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution. CoSIDA members in District VI, which consists of schools with CoSIDA members in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, then vote based on a combination of academic and athletic achievement. College Division includes NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA.

As first team Academic All-District selections, Furlan, Ivie and Zabrodiec will advance for consideration for the 2005 CoSIDA Academic All-America College Division At-Large team, which is scheduled for release on June 16.

Name (sport)	School	Year	Hometown	GPA, Major
Riley Baumann (golf)	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Jr.	Killeen, Texas	3.74, Business Management
Kevin Beedy (tennis)	Abilene Christian	So.	Spearman, Texas	4.00, Accounting
Kobus Erasmus (golf)	Central Arkansas	Sr.	Dearr, So. Africa	3.78, International Trade
David Ferreira (tennis)	Harding	Sr.	Port Elizabeth, So. Africa	3.57, Accounting
Alex Furlan (tennis)	Cameron	Sr.	Motta di Livenza, Italy	3.70, Management
Ryan Lecuyer (golf)	Central Arkansas	So.	Edmonton, Ont.	4.00, Biology
Donnie Martin (golf)	Central Oklahoma	Sr.	Enid, Okla.	3.48, Actuarial Science
Nate McCrary (golf)	LeTourneau	Sr.	Longview, Texas	3.87, Electrical Engineering
Josh Rutland (golf)	LeTourneau	Sr.	Gladewater, Texas	3.86, Chemistry
Chris Washburn (golf)	West Texas A&M	Sr.	Midland, Texas	3.48, Accounting
Jorge Zabrodiec (tennis)	Cameron	Sr.	Asuncion, Paraguay	3.53, Economics