May 23, 2008

ITHACA, N.Y. – Announced on Friday, Millsaps women's tennis player Beth Fossen has been chosen by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as a First Team selection to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District VI At-Large Team.

Fossen, a sophomore who primarily plays at No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles, becomes the second-straight women's tennis player to gain CoSIDA honors behind former netter Emily Stewart in 2007.

An Academic All-SCAC selection and ITA Scholar Athlete as a freshman, Fossen will be eligible for both awards again this postseason as she carries a 3.98 GPA in business and studio art.

In the at-large program, nominations are limited to three per school per gender. Thus, each institution may nominate a total of three men's at-large candidates and three women's at-large candidates. If an institution participates in both the college and the university divisions, it may nominate a total of three men and three women between the two divisions. There is no limit to the number of candidates that may be nominated for a particular sport.

Eligible sports are women's bowling, women's crew, men's and women's fencing, women's field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's skiing, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo and men's wrestling.

To be nominated, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution. In the cases of transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates, the athlete must have completed one full academic year at the institution to be eligible.

As a 2008 Academic All-District VI First Team selection, Fossen's name will automatically be placed on the ballot for Academic All-America recognition which will be released on Thursday, June 12. Student-athletes on the Academic All-District second team do not advance to the national ballot but are provided a further opportunity for recognition.