For Immediate Release: Wednesday, 17 September 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN TENNIS EARNS ACADEMIC HONORS

EDINBURG, TX-The University of Texas-Pan American's women's tennis team and eight members of the Broncs and Lady Broncs have received academic honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Texas-Pan American's women's team was named an ITA All-Academic Team for the third year in a row. The Lady Broncs were one of 72 teams nationally to earn this honor.

Five members of the UTPA women's tennis team were named ITA Scholar-Athletes. Senior Elisabet Mateos (Barcelona, Spain/Arnau Cadell HS/Laredo CC); juniors Jessica Brown (Sioux City, IA/North HS), Julie Fife (Los Alamos, NM/Los Alamos HS) and Alana Breen (Whistler, BC/Whistler Secondary); and sophomore Kathryn Waslen (Calgary, AB/West Island College) were honored. The five were among 302 chosen from among all Division I women's tennis players.

Three members of the men's team also were recognized. They were senior Neil Barraclough (Coventry, England/Cardinal Newman HS/Seward County CC) and sophomore Filip Koziell (Calgary, AB/Bishop Carroll HS) and Jeremy Salvo (Coquitlam, BC/Centennial Secondary). They were among 200 selected from all Division I men's tennis players.

Three of the Lady Broncs graduated after last season. Waslen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, graduating magna cum laude. Mateos graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's of Business Administration, majoring in Marketing, while Brown earned a Bachelor's of Social Work. Breen is a Pre-medicine major, while Fife is majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

Salvo and Koziell are majoring in Management, while Barraclough is a Marketing major.

"Both our men's and women's tennis teams have been leaders in the academic arena within our athletics department here at UTPA," said Texas-Pan American's Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Support and Student Services, Chris Uchacz. "I am very proud of their ability to focus both on academics and athletics, as they each epitomize the true concept of the student-athlete."

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