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AU’s Kucerkova Selected as PL Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Junior repeats top academic honor as seven teammates named to Academic Honor Roll

January 29, 2003

Karla Kucerkova was named both the Patriot League Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in volleyball.

WASHINGTON — American University junior Karla Kucerkova (Olomouc, Czech Republic/Brno) was named the Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the league’s sports information directors for the second time in two years. Seven other AU volleyball student-athletes were named to the Academic Honor Roll.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must earn a 3.20 grade-point average (GPA) in the fall semester and be awarded a varsity letter in one of the seven League-sponsored fall championship sports.

The junior outside hitter, who was named the Patriot League Player of the Year for the second straight year, earned a 4.00 in business administration and finance in the fall and maintains a 3.98 GPA. Kucerkova will graduate in May and has one more year of eligibility left.

Junior Natalie Hand (Keizer, Ore./McNary) maintained her perfect 4.00 GPA as the starting libero for American. Hand was a member of the Verizon Academic All-America Second Team. Sophomores Erin Allgaier (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central), Daria Bobko (Moscow, Russia/S. E. School #783) and Natacha Cornaz (Lausanne, Switzerland/Gymnase Auguste Piccard) were all named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. American sophomores Cathy Fluegeman (Muncie, Ind./Burris Laboratory School) and Sabrina Vasconcelos (Fortaleza, Brazil/Colegio Christus) were honored for their academic accomplishments. Freshman Jennifer Cosco (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) was also a member of the honor roll.

Erin Allgaier	Daria Bobko	Jennifer Cosco	Natacha Cornaz
Cathy Fluegeman	Natalie Hand	Karla Kucerkova	Sabrina Vasconcelos

The honor is the latest in a year of accomplishments for Kucerkova, who was named the University Division Verizon Academic All-America of the Year for Volleyball in December. She is the first student-athlete from the Patriot League ever to have earned the award and the second American University athlete to receive such a national award.

“I am pleased to see so many people recognize Karla’s talents,” said AU Head Coach Barry Goldberg. “It’s always nice to see somebody of humble character receive honor.”

Kucerkova was a repeat District 2 Verizon Academic All-America selection this fall after leading her team to its second straight Patriot League Championship and a two-year record of 30-0 in league action. In December, American fell to No. 24 South Carolina in the first round of NCAA Tournament action. It was the second straight berth for the Eagles and fourth in program history.

In 2002, Kucerkova spent a second year atop the Patriot League kills list, averaging better than four per game, while finishing second in hitting percentage. On Nov. 1, she reached the 1,000th career kill plateau in a 3-0 win over Colgate. Two times she was named to all-tournament teams including the prestigious Louisville Classic.

American University, which fields a 19-sport NCAA Division I athletics program featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men, recently completed its inaugural year of membership in the Patriot League. The University had an extremely successful year to date on respective fields of play, capturing league championships in men's cross country, women's cross country, men’s soccer, women's soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis, and regular-season titles in men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.

Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, American University features students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 160 nations worldwide.