Mike Fisher of Virginia Named 1997 GTE Academic All-America Team Member Of The Year On Fall/Winter At-Large Team

STAMFORD, Conn., - - Soccer player Mike Fisher of the University of Virginia, the NCAA player of the year, was
named the GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in the University Division on the 1997 GTE Academic All-America Fall/Winter Men's At-Large Team announced today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). It is the second straight season Fisher earned the top academic honor while being named his sport's top player.

A senior from Batavia, Ill., Fisher maintained a 3.40 Grade Point Average (GPA) as a biology & pre-medicine major and is the
school's all-time leading scorer. He is a two-time all-American and became only the third player in NCAA history to score 50 goals
and record 50 assists in a career.

Matt Brill, a senior cross country runner from North Central (Ill.) College, was named Team Member of the Year in the College Division. A native of Stratford, N.J., Brill made the GTE first team for the second straight season. He was the 1996 Division
III cross country national champion and was named all-American for four straight seasons.

In addition to Fisher and Brill, four other student-athletes, all soccer players, repeated as GTE Academic All-America
first team members -- Scott Ziemba of Marquette, a senior from St. Charles, Ill. (3.98/psychology); Mike Habalar of
Slippery Rock, a senior from New Holland, Pa. (3.97/secondary education/social studies); Joel Kosakoff of UC San Diego,
a senior from Del Mar, Calif. (4.00/economics/psychology); and Justin Krueger of Ohio Wesleyan, a senior from Loveland,
Ohio (3.95/history/chemistry/pre-med.)

The 30 first team members have an average GPA of 3.88, with nine posting a perfect GPA and 11 others recording at least a 3.92.

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 scale of 4.00. 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.

GTE, one of the largest publicly held telecommunications companies in the world, has been the exclusive sponsor of the Academic All-America program since 1985. GTE has wireline and wireless operations that form a market area covering about one-third of the U.S. population.

To extend its support of college athletics, GTE recently became the "Official Telecommunications Consultant" to the
NCAA as well as the Pacific-10, Big Ten and Big 12 conferences.

Following is a complete list of the 1997 GTE Academic All-America
Men's At-Large Teams in the University and College Divisions:

1997 GTE Academic All-America
Men's Fall/Winter At-Large Teams

University Division First Team

University Division Second Team

University Division Third Team

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

1997 GTE Academic All-America
Men's Fall/Winter At-Large Teams

College Division First Team

College Division Second Team

College Division Third Team

* GTE Academic All-America Team Member
of the Year - College Division ** 5.0 Scale