CoSIDA Announces GTE Academic All-America Women's Basketball Team

STAMFORD, Conn. -- The GTE Academic All-America Women's Basketball Team was announced today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). In addition to achieving excellence in the classroom, many of the players are on teams that qualified for postseason play.

The College Division includes Suzanne Venet of Mount Union, a senior from Massilon, Ohio, with a 3.86 Grade Point Average as a sport medicine/physical education major who is averaging 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds per game. Mount Union is 28-2 and plays Southern Maine in the Division III semifinals tomorrow.

The College Division first team also features Krista Kandere of Saint Rose (3.91/biology/chemistry), a senior from Riga, Latvia, who was named the Division's GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. Kandere helped her team win its first 33 games before losing in the Division II regional finals and was a first team Kodak All-American. Also named was Missy McVoy of Northern Colorado (4.00/kinesiology), a senior from Monument, Colo., whose team finished 21-8 and made the NCAA second round.

The University Division features Team Member of the Year Lisa Davies of Southwest Missouri St. (4.00/communication science disorders), a senior from Oak Grove, Mo.; Cindy Blodgett of Maine (3.32/education), a senior from Clinton, Maine; and Katrina Price of Stephen F. Austin (3.58/kinesiology), a senior from Waco, Texas. All three teams qualified for the Division I tournament.

Rounding out the College Division first team are Lori Robinson-Nuzzo of Slippery Rock, a graduate student from Bradford, Pa. (4.00/health & physical education); and Jarra Rusnock of Albright, a senior from Reading, Pa. (3.95/chemistry).

Also named to the University Division first team: Mary Klima of American, a senior from Fairfax, Va. (3.91/finance/law & society); and Myndee Larsen of Southern Utah, a senior from Twin Falls, Idaho (3.97/communications).

The GTE 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 4.00 scale. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon on the national level. CoSIDA has been selecting Academic All-America teams since 1952.

With 1997 revenues of more than $23 billion, GTE is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services. In the United States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 17 states; nationwide long-distance and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small-business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies; as well as video service in selected markets.

Following is a complete list of the GTE Academic All-America Women's Basketball Teams in the University and College Divisions:

1998 GTE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA WOMENS BASKETBALL TEAMS

UNIVERSITY DIVISION FIRST TEAM

UNIVERSITY DIVISION SECOND TEAM

UNIVERSITY DIVISION THIRD TEAM

* GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year - University Division

COLLEGE DIVISION FIRST TEAM

COLLEGE DIVISION SECOND TEAM

COLLEGE DIVISION THIRD TEAM

** GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year - College Division