North Carolina Central University

CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK

     (STAMFORD, Conn., June 20, 2002)  North Carolina Central University senior Katerina Glosova has been voted to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-America® Women's Track and Field/Cross Country College Division First Team, as chosen by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).
     A native of Cernotin, Czech Republic, Glosova has earned a 3.974 overall grade point average with a major of Hospitality and Tourism, and is the only international student among the 45 Academic All-America honorees.
     During the 2001-02 athletic campaign, Glosova won her third consecutive CIAA Cross Country Championship and captured six individual conference titles during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. She also became a National Champion by winning the 800-meter run at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, and earned All-America honors with a second place 800m effort at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
     Throughout her career at NCCU, Glosova has earned four All-American citations, captured 14 Conference Championships and received 26 All-Conference honors. She has also been a member of the CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic First Team three consecutive years, and was selected as the 2002 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.
     This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Verizon Academic All-America program, which was founded by the College Sports Information Directors of America in 1952 to recognize collegiate student-athletes for their outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the playing field.  Over the past 50 years, the Verizon Academic All-America program has grown into one of the most recognized and prestigious collegiate scholar-athlete awards nationwide, honoring student-athletes from all NCAA championship sports.
     As part of an overall expansion of the Verizon Academic All-America program, a women's track/cross country team was selected in the University and College Divisions for the first time in the history of the program.  The men's team was announced on June 18.
     The Verizon 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 the national level.
     "This group of student-athletes typifies the kind of individuals the founders had in mind when the Academic All-America program was formed in 1952.  In this, our 50th anniversary year, the members of CoSIDA are proud to play a part in this tremendous program," said Dick Lipe, CoSIDA's Academic All-America chairman.
     Under an agreement with CoSIDA, Verizon, formerly GTE, has been the exclusive sponsor of the Academic All-America program since 1985. Verizon, America's literacy champion, strongly believes that literacy is a key ingredient to success and outstanding achievements in life. The Academic All-America program is an integral part of Verizon Reads, the company's national campaign to promote literacy through corporate philanthropy, partner collaboration, community outreach, and customer and employee participation.