June 12, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina's Rachel Dawson, a senior on the 2007 NCAA Championship field hockey team, has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America at-large women's first team, as announced Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She is the only field hockey player on the squad, which includes representatives from seven different sports, and the first UNC field hockey player to earn first-team Academic All-America honors since 1999.

The Academic All-America at-large teams are open to student-athletes from the sports of women's bowling, women's crew, men's and women's fencing, field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's skiing, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo and wrestling. To be a candidate for the honor, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve and must carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better. Academic All-America first, second and third teams were selected in the university and college divisions.

Tar Heel men's golfer Barden Berry was named to the Academic All-America at-large men's third team, announced on Tuesday.

Dawson, a business major from Berlin, N.J., graduated with distinction in December after leading Carolina to NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference championships and an undefeated season. She received the Honda Award as 2007 national player of the year and her No. 9 Carolina jersey has been retired. A recipient of an ACC Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award, she served as a team captain and earned the Carolina Leadership Academy's highest honor, the Three-Dimensional Leader Award.

Named 2007 ACC Scholar-Athlete for field hockey, Dawson finished her UNC career with a 3.63 GPA. A two-time first-team All-America selection, she now plays full-time for the U.S. Field Hockey National Team and recently was named Player of the Tournament as the squad qualified for this summer's Olympic Games in China.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA, AT-LARGE
UNIVERSITY DIVISION
FIRST TEAM

Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech, Tennis, Sr., 4.00); Amanda Blumenherst (Duke, Golf, Jr., 3.78); Hilary Bowen (Northwestern, Lacrosse, Jr., 3.87); Molly Crispell (Penn State, Swimming, Sr., 4.00); Stacy Lewis (Arkansas, Golf, Sr., 3.73); Kelly Zahalka (U.S. Naval Academy, Swimming, Jr., 4.00); Rachel Dawson (North Carolina, Field Hockey, Sr., 3.63); Imke Reimers (Nebraska, Tennis, Sr., 3.98); Azahara Munoz (Arizona State, Golf, Jr., 3.90); Kate Burdick (Michigan State, Rowing, Sr., 3.99); Kara Denby (Auburn, Swimming, Sr., 3.93); Vanessa Andrews (Tulsa, Rowing, Sr., 4.0); Diana Martinez (South Carolina-Upstate, Tennis, Sr., 4.00); Gretchen Kittelberger (Maryland, Gymnastics, Gr., 4.00); Christine Magnuson (Tennessee, Swimming, Sr., 3.70)