May 5, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Eight North Carolina student-athletes have been named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars, recognizing their outstanding performances athletically and academically. The awards, which honor students of color and international students, are selected by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine.

Tar Heels honored are Courtney Bumpers (gymnastics), Pablo Durana (track and field/cross country), Camilla Ihenetu (volleyball), Cecilia Liu (gymnastics), Leah Metcalf (women's basketball), Katy Tran (field hockey), Dave Werry (men's lacrosse) and Alice Xu (gymnastics). Durana and Ihenetu were named to the second team in their respective sports, while Metcalf received honorable mention.

To be selected, a student must participate in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 and be active on campus and/or in the community. Bumpers and Tran won the award for the second year in a row.

Bumpers, a senior from Stone Mountain, Ga., is a two-time NCAA Champion in the floor exercise. She was the 2006 Outstanding Senior in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League and earned EAGL All-Academic honors in all four years of her career. The school record holder in vault, uneven bars and all-around, she is majoring in environmental health science.

Durana, a senior from Montreal, Quebec, is a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams. He was named to the 2005 All-USA College Academic Team and is a 2006 recipient of the Tatum Award and the McCaskill Award, both of which go to an outstanding UNC senior student-athlete who has excelled in athletics, scholarship and community service.

Ihenetu, a senior from Denver, Colo., earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 2005. She is the recipient of the team's John Lotz Memorial Award, which goes to the squad member who is most active in community service, and is working toward a double major in international studies and political science.

Liu, a senior from Winston-Salem, N.C., serves as the squad's Academic Team Captain and has been a member of the EAGL All-Academic team four times. She is working toward a double major in biology and exercise and sport science.

Metcalf, who is from Charlotte, N.C., served as an undergraduate assistant coach for the women's basketball team this season after completing her eligibility in 2004-05. During her career, she earned ACC All-Freshman team and All-ACC Tournament honors and was named to the ACC All-Academic squad four times. She is working toward a double major in mathematics and Afro-American studies.

Tran, a goalkeeper from Grantville, Pa., who earned her UNC degree in December, was a three-year starter for the Tar Heels and earned All-America honors as a senior. A double major in biology and exercise & sport science, she has received the ACC Top Six for Service Award in each of the last three years.

Werry, a senior from Oshawa, Ontario, was among the finalists for the 2005 John Wooden Citizens Cup. A Morehead Scholar, recipient of the most prestigious academic grant at UNC, he has earned the ACC Top Six for Service Award in each of the last three years. Werry is working toward a double major in economics and political science.

Xu, a sophomore business major from Rockville, Md., was the only UNC underclassman to earn the Ashe honor this season. She has been named to the EAGL All-Academic team the last two years and placed fifth on the beam at NCAA Regional Championships as a freshman.