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Kucerkova Named Verizon Academic All-America Volleyball Player of the Year; Hand Named to Second Team
Senior first-ever Eagle chosen as Academic All-America POY

Karla Kucerkova	Natalie Hand

WASHINGTON — American University's Karla Kucerkova (Olomouc, Czech Republic) was named the University Division Verizon Academic All-America of the Year for Volleyball and Natalie Hand (Keizer, Ore./McNary) was voted to the Verizon Academic All-America Second-Team as announced today by Verizon and CoSIDA.

Kucerkova is the first student-athlete from American University ever to receive such an award and second to be chosen as a national player of the year. The senior, who has one year left of eligibility, currently has a grade-point average of 3.96 in business administration and will graduate in May.

“Karla’s accomplishments here are truly wonderful,” said Head Coach Barry Goldberg. “I’m really happy for her to receive such a prestigious award.”

She was named the Patriot League Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002 after leading AU to a 28-0 record in two years of membership in the Patriot League. Kucerkova, who was a repeat District 2 Verizon Academic All-America selection this fall, was the 2001 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and helped her team earn the 2001-02 AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award.

“The Patriot League and American University are proving that excellence in athletics and excellence in academics can co-exist,” said American University Athletic Director Tom George. “Karla’s national recognition as well as our other Academic All-Americas are proving the point.”

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

Hand, a Middle Eastern Affairs/International Development/Political Studies major, was also a Verizon District 2 Academic All-America in 2001 and 2002 with a perfect 4.0 GPA. The team leader in digs, she is the starting libero for AU. A recipient of numerous academic and field work awards, Hand spent the summer interning in Morocco.

This week the Eagles will compete in their second straight NCAA Tournament and fourth in six years. On Thursday, AU will take on No. 24 South Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Kucerkova is the second American University student-athlete to such national attention. Current AU women’s soccer coach Mike Brady was honored as the 1985 NCAA Men’s Player of the Year by Soccer America.

The Verizon Academic All-America Teams program recognizes student-athletes who have succeeded on the field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected by votes from CoSIDA, the 1,800-member College Sports Information Directors of America. 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. Since the program’s inception in 1952, over 12,000 student-athletes have been honored with the award.

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.