May 22, 2003
Duquesne's junior tennis player Micael Lopez-Acevedo (Guaynabo, PR / Colegio Marista) was named to the 2003 Verizon University Division Academic All-District 2 At-Large First Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Thursday. Three other Dukes join Lopez-Acevedo on the Distict 2 team: senior rower Karen Predmore (Fairport, N.Y. / Fairport), sophomore golfer Tom Wears (Ogdensburg, NY / Ogdensburg Free Academy) and junior lacrosse player Becca West (Cicero, NY / Cicero-North Syracuse).
The at-large team comprises the sports of rowing, gymnastics, skiing, men's volleyball, fencing, ice hockey, swimming, water polo, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis, wrestling, golf and rifle.
Lopez-Acevedo, who was named the Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Academic Student-Athlete of the Year, boasts a 3.93 cumulative grade point average as a biology major. He posted a 20-8 singles record, primarily at second singles, to help lead the Dukes to a third place finish at the 2003 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship - their best finish ever. Acevedo was perfect at the Championship with a 3-0 singles mark and was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team for his efforts. He is a member of Duquesne's Dean's List, as well as the school's Director of Athletics' Honor Roll and the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
To be nominated for this award, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve player and carry at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA. District 2 encompasses schools from the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Duquesne University has had 20 student-athletes named to the various District 2 acadmic teams this season placing at least one student-athlete on each of the nine (9) Verizon teams to date - men's & women's soccer, women's volleyball, football and men's & women's basketball, baseball, men's at-large, women's at-large. Duquesne's total is the most of any University in District 2.
Lopez-Acevedo and Predmore, Duquesne's other first team honoree, will now appear on the ballot for the Verizon National At-Large teams that are slated to be announced in June.
