March 7, 2007

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Four North Carolina student-athletes have been named recipients of prestigious postgraduate scholarships or awards by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Tar Heels Anna Evans (softball), Courtney Krolikoski (fencing), Katie Miller (golf) and Heather O'Reilly (soccer) are among 45 student-athletes from across the ACC to earn the honors, as announced by Commissioner John D. Swofford.

Evans, Krolikoski and Miller received Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarships. O'Reilly received the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker scholarships are given to selected ACC student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate-level degree following graduation. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to use towards his or her graduate education. Student-athletes receiving the award have performed with distinction in both the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, nine student-athletes will receive Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Awards. These students will be recognized for their outstanding performance in both athletic competition and the classroom throughout their collegiate careers and intend to compete at the Olympic or professional level.

Evans, a senior from Fairmont, N.C., is attending UNC on a Morehead-Cain Scholarship, the school's most prestigious merit award. A biology and exercise and sport science double major with a minor in chemistry, she was a first-team All-ACC softball selection in 2005 and has been named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in each year of her career. She holds school single-season records for games played and games started.

Krolikoski, a senior from Stratham, N.H., has been selected as Most Outstanding Fencer on the women's epee squad three times. She competed in the NCAA Championships in 2004 and '05 and twice has been named to the Mid-Atlantic South Regional team for women's epee. A history and psychology double major, she is a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.

Miller, a senior from Jeannette, Pa., is a four-year starter on the golf team with seven top-10 finishes, including third at the 2007 Chrysler Challenge. She also placed third at the 2006 Eastern Amateur and played in the 2006 U.S. Women's Amateur. A journalism major and 2005 All-ACC selection, she serves as president of UNC's Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

O'Reilly, a senior from East Brunswick, N.J., was the winner of the 2006 Honda Soccer Award and was named Soccer America National Player of the Year after leading UNC to the NCAA Championship in her senior season. She was a three-time All-America and All-ACC selection and she led the Tar Heels in scoring for three years. An education major, she was selected as the 2006 Academic All-America of the Year and also was a recipient of the NCAA Today's Top VIII Award for 2006-07. A two-time NCAA Champion and three-time ACC Champion, O'Reilly has been a member of U.S. National Team since 2002 and helped the team to a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James as well as Gene Corrigan, all former ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954 to 1970 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.

Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom. Eugene F.

Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.

Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were given as separate honors. The Jim Weaver award, originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.

The Thacker award, which originated in 2005, is awarded in honor of the late Jim and Pat Thacker of Charlotte, N.C. Jim Thacker was the primary play-by-play announcer for the ACC's first television network. Recipients of the award must demonstrate outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom and intend to further their education through post-graduate studies at an ACC institution.

The 45 student-athletes will be honored April 12, 2007, in Greensboro, N.C., at a luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club. The luncheon will be held at the Koury Convention Center.

Weaver-James-Corrigan Award recipients are: Boston College - Allison Amanda Anderson (volleyball), Robert G. Dittrich (baseball); Clemson - Sarah Irene Cefalu (swimming & diving), Brittany Gamble (rowing), J. Thomas Hunter (football); Duke - Leigh Turner Jester (lacrosse), Cara Lynn Lopresti (field hockey), Shannon Nicole Rowbury (cross country/track & field); Florida State - Sarah Reyne Griffin (volleyball), Alex W. Kennon (swimming), Kelly A. Rowland (soccer); Georgia Tech - Ofer Finkler (swimming & diving), Kristina Kaye Hull (softball), Alison Jo Silverio (tennis); Maryland - Paula Infante (field hockey), Kristina Keegan (track & field), Adam B. Podlesh (football); Miami - Heather Nicole Bounds (diving), Valerie Anne Webb (rowing), Karen Louise Wiley (rowing); North Carolina - Anna Victoria Evans (softball), Courtney Allison Krolikoski (fencing), Kathryn Louise Miller (golf); NC State - Shaina M. Ervin (softball), William Morgan Lee (football); Virginia - Ryan M. Burke (soccer), Andrew Spencer Dumm (cross country); Virginia Tech - Coleman Alexander Collins (basketball), Lindsay Parks Pieper (lacrosse), Mallory Jo Soldner (soccer); Wake Forest - Lauren Elizabeth Crandall (field hockey), Michelle Marie Sikes (cross country/track & field), Jamie Glynn Whitten (field hockey).

Jim and Pat Thacker Award Recipients are as follows: Boston College - Jennifer Elizabeth Maurer (soccer); NC State - Georgia Kay Davis (cross country); Virginia - Meredith Lee Lazarus (lacrosse).

Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award Recipients are as follows: Clemson - Rebecca B. Myer (soccer); Duke - Anna Grzebien (golf); Florida State - Thomas Lancashire (cross country/track & field); Georgia Tech - Roberto Mario Castro (golf); Maryland - Joshua Matthew Wilson (football); North Carolina - Heather Ann O'Reilly (soccer); NC State - Jemissa Leanne Hess (cross country/track & field); Virginia - Adam Whipp Cristman (soccer); Virginia Tech - Brandon Kyle Pace (football).