Four `Canes Named to All-ACC Women's Tennis Academic Team

Aug. 3, 2009

Greensboro, N.C. – Laura Vallverdu has been named the ACC Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year as she headlined a list of four University of Miami women’s tennis student-athletes selected to this year’s All-ACC Women’s Tennis Academic team released Monday afternoon by the conference office in Greensboro, N.C. This year’s group from UM includes three ITA All-Americans with Julia Cohen, Bianca Eichkorn and Laura Vallverdu, in addition to Michaela Kissell.

UM tied Duke for the most student-athletes on this year’s team.

Vallverdu, a junior from Valencia, Venezuela, is a three-time member of the All-ACC Academic Women’s Tennis Team, a member of the President’s Honor Roll at Miami, a two-time member of the Provost’s Honor Roll and a three-time member of the Dean’s List. Vallverdu is also a five-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and five-time University of Miami Book Buster.

On the court, Vallverdu is a three-time ITA All-American and a three-time All-ACC performer who posted a second-place finish in the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship. She ranks sixth on the school’s all-time win list with 96 and is the first player in Miami history to record 30 or more wins in each of her first three seasons.

Currently, Vallverdu is working towards a degree in Psychology, while Eichkorn is earning a degree in International Finance & Marketing. This is the first All-ACC Academic Award for Cohen and Kissell, respectively.

Cohen, Eichkorn and Vallverdu each advanced to this year’s Round of 16 at the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championships in College Station, Texas. Eichkorn is collecting her second academic award of the 2008-09 year, as she (along with men’s diver Reuben Ross) was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team for District III.The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.Ten student-athletes named to the All-ACC Academic team were also voted All-ACC in April, and seven earned ITA All-America honors.

ACC Freshman of the Year Mallory Cecil of Duke – who won the NCAA singles title, captured the Honda Award for Women’s Tennis and the ITA National Player of the Year Award – led a group of ACC All-Americans also earning All-ACC Academic honors. Others included Clemson’s Ina Hadziselimovic, Duke’s Reka Zsilinszka, Miami’s Vallverdu, Julia Cohen and Bianca Eichkorn, and North Carolina’s Sophie Granbinski.

All-ACC honorees also named to the All-ACC Academic Team included Duke’s Cecil and Zsilinszka, Florida State’s Katie Rybakova and Noemie Scharle, Georgia Tech’s Amanda McDowell, Miami’s Vallverdu, Cohen, Eichkorn and Michaela Kissell, North Carolina’s Katrina Tsang, and Wake Forest’s Sasha Kulikova.

#ACC Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year
*Repeat All-ACC Academic Team Selection
**Three-time All-ACC Academic Team Selection
***Four-time All-ACC Academic Team Selection