Weynand Named First-Team Academic All-American
Dec 13, 2001 | Volleyball
December 13, 2001
Texas A&M defensive specialist Beth Weynand has been named to the six-member 2001 Verizon Academic All-America Women's Volleyball First Team, Verizon and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced today. She is the third Aggie to be named to the first team in the history of the A&M volleyball program, joining Elizabeth Edmiston (1992) and Kim Mitchell (1993) in this distinguished group.
Weynand, a senior from Austin, Texas (Stephen F. Austin High School), has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while pursuing her degree in biomedical science. A member of the 2000 Verizon Academic All-America third team, Weynand is slated to graduate this weekend.
A two-year starter and four-year letterwinner, Weynand played in every match the past two seasons. She capped her collegiate career by averaging a career-high 2.21 digs per game while helping the Aggies reach the NCAA Elite Eight for only the second time as No. 15 A&M upset No. 6 Wisconsin in three games in the regional semifinals last week in Palo Alto, Calif. The Aggies, who finished the season with a 26-6 record, matched the 1999 squad for the best finish in school history by placing second in the Big 12 with a 16-4 mark and advancing to the regional finals.
Weynand reached double figures in digs eight times in 2001 -- including a season-high 13 in the victory over the Badgers -- while helping A&M to No. 6 national ranking for digs entering the NCAA tournament.
A three-time member of the Academic All-Big 12 Volleyball first team, Weynand also is a three-time All-American Athlete by the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and a four-time GTE/Texas A&M Outstanding Scholar Athlete and Texas A&M volleyball academic award recipient. In addition, Weynand received the 2000-01 Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete Award honoring the top female student-athlete at Texas A&M.
Weynand is one of four members representing the Big 12 Conference on the 19-member Verizon Academic All-America teams. Nebraska's Nancy Metcalf, who joins Weynand on the first team, was recognized as the Verizon Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. Cornhuskers Laura Pilakowski and Greichaly Cepero were named to the second and third teams, respectively.
The following is the complete listing of the 2001 Verizon Academic All-America® Women's Volleyball:
First Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown GPA/Major
MB Kyleen Bell Georgia Tech Sr. Rocklin, Calif. 3.96/Management
OH Jami Coughlin Arizona St. Sr. Glendale, Ariz. 4.00/Special Education
OH Nancy Metcalf * Nebraska Sr. Hull, Iowa 3.81/Advertising
S Keri Nishimoto Long Beach St. Sr. Redlands, Calif. 3.93/Computer Science
OH Gina Schmidt Oregon St. Sr. Beaverlodge, Alberta 4.00/Business
DS Beth Weynand Texas A&M Sr. Austin, Texas 4.00/Biomedical Sciences
Second Team
MH Rachel Ahlers Tennessee-Martin Jr. Kirkwood, Mo. 4.00/Elementary Education
MB April Barnhorst Kentucky Sr. Greenwood, Ind. 4.00/Marketing
OH Lauren Fendrick UCLA Sr. Carlsbad, Calif. 3.94/Pre-Cognitive Science
MB Angela Knopf Colorado St. Sr. Troutdale, Ore. 3.67/Mathematics
OH Laura Pilakowski Nebraska Jr. Columbus, Neb. 3.93/Advertising
OH Stacy Schmidt Texas-San Antonio Sr. Bellville, Texas 3.94/Community Health
Third Team
MB Shelly Adamcik Alabama Jr. Southlake, Texas 4.00/Criminal Justice
S Greichaly Cepero Nebraska Jr. Dorado, Puerto Rico 3.57/International Business
MB Kim Frederick Manhattan Sr. Orange, Calif. 3.97/Computer Science
MB Alison Kreager North Carolina St. Sr. Ligonier, Tenn. 4.00/Biological Science
MH Kristen Meech Youngstown St. Sr. Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 4.00/Elementary Education
MB Jennifer Pritchard Winthrop Jr. Medicine Hat, Alberta 4.00/Biology
MH Krista Smith West Virginia Sr. Bay City, Mich. 4.00/Biology
* Verizon Academic All-America Team Member of the Year – University Division
The Verizon Academic All-America Teams are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon the national level.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Verizon Academic All-America program, which was founded by CoSIDA in 1952 to recognize collegiate student-athletes for their outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the playing field. Over the past 50 years, the Verizon Academic All-America program has grown into one of the most recognized and prestigious collegiate scholar-athlete awards nationwide, honoring student-athletes from all NCAA championship sports.
