The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss' Athletes Named All-America
6/21/1999 | Women's Tennis
May 25, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss seniors Megan Breen and Calvin Thigpen were named to the GTE/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) District 6 Academic All-America Spring At-Large first team. Senior Courtenay Chapman and junior Ivona Mihailova, both members of the Lady Rebel tennis team, were selected to the district's second team.
Breen and Thigpen are now eligible for selection to national academic team, as a result of being selected to the district's first team. This is the third consecutive year that Thigpen, a member of the Rebel track and field team, earned district first team accolades, while Breen received district second team honors in 1997.
A native of Longwood, Fla., Breen, who had a 3.84 in Banking and Finance, helped lead the Ole Miss women's golf team to its second straight appearance in the NCAA East Regional. She finished the season second on the team in stroke average (75.64), and became one of the first two golfers in Lady Rebel history to receive All-Southeastern Conference first team honors in 1999. Robyn Rinaldo was the other Lady Rebel golfer to be named to the All-SEC first team in 1999. Breen placed fifth at the SEC Championships, and led the Ole Miss squad to its best-ever finish at the conference tournament, placing third. A three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll pick, Breen set the school record for most top-10 finishes in a season (10) and career (19) this year. Breen was selected to the Golf Coaches Association National Academic All-America team in 1997 and 1998, and was named to either the Chancellor's or Dean's Honor Roll every semester at Ole Miss.
Thigpen, a native of Jackson, Miss., posted a 4.00 grade-point average in Chemistry and Math. In April, the senior was selected the 1999 GTE/CoSIDA National Academic All-America Men's Fall/Winter At-Large first team. Thigpen was also named to the national spring at-large first team in 1998, and in 1997, he was selected to the national third team. Awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship last December, Thigpen is the school's 24th recipient of the honor, and will study at Oxford University in England for two years beginning in the fall. This year, Thigpen completed his final year of eligibility as a member of the Rebel track and field teams. During the 1999 outdoor campaign, he ran a season-best time of 15:37.86 in the 5000 meters and placed 21st in the event at the SEC Championships. Named to the Chancellor's Honor Roll every semester, Thigpen served as Ole Miss' Associated Student Body President in the 1997-98 academic year. He was selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll the last four years.
Chapman, who had a 3.54 in Broadcast Journalism, helped lead the Lady Rebel tennis program to its first ever SEC Tournament title in 1999, upsetting top-ranked Florida in the championship match. Named the SEC Tourmament MVP, the Jackson, Miss., native became the first player in Lady Rebel tennis history to record 100 wins in both singles and doubles action. The three-time All-America senior was nationally ranked in singles and doubles her entire career and also earned All-SEC accolades. Selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll the last three years, Chapman held a 4.00 grade-point average the last two years. This season, Chapman posted a 27-13 singles record and a 21-10 doubles mark, while leading the Lady Rebels to a No. 5 national ranking and the NCAA Championships quarterfinal round.
A native of Skopje, Macedonia, Mihailova holds a 3.68 grade-point average in International Business. The junior was ranked among the top 30 singles in the nation the entire 1998-99 season and posted a 29-6 singles record and a 20-5 doubles mark. Named All-SEC in both singles and doubles in 1999, Mihailova was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the second straight year and was also named to the Chancellor's Honor Roll at Ole Miss. This season, Mihailova, who had a 10-0 record at No. 3 singles in SEC play, helped lead the Lady Rebels to a No. 5 national ranking and the NCAA Championships quarterfinal round.
The following are the district 6 academic teams:
1999 GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America
District 6 Spring Men's At-Large Team
Alexander Forst, LSU, Track and Field, 3.86, Mass Communications/Advertising; Tom Hand, LSU, Tennis, 4.00, Political Science; Mark LeDoux, Lamar, Track and Field, 3.73, Physical Therapy; Carl W. Mallon III, Rice, Golf, 3.74, Mathematical Economic Studies/Managerial Studies; Jeff Piper, Rice, Track and Field, 3.71 Computer Science; James Rush, Oklahoma, Tennis, 3.90, Math; Jonas Samuelsson, LSU, Tennis, 3.94, Operations Management; Robert Samuelsson, Tulane, Tennis, 3.78, Chemical Engineering; Timothy Surface, Tulsa, Track and Field, 4.00, Management Information Systems; Calvin Thigpen, Ole Miss, Track and Field, 4.00, Chemistry/Math
1999 GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America
District 6 Spring Women's At-Large Teams
First Team Megan Breen, Ole Miss, Golf, 3.84, Banking/Finance; Simone Bremicker, New Mexico State, Tennis, 4.00, Pre-Business; Christy Carter, Tulane, Golf, 3.753, Accounting; Samantha Chesson, McNeese State, Track and Field, 4.00, Accounting; Gabriella Dahlgren, Southeastern Louisiana, Track and Field, 3.882, Chemistry; Justyna Gudzowska, Rice, Tennis, 4.020, German/Economics; Heather Howard, Rice, Track and Field, 4.049, Biology/Managerial Studies; Amanda Jones, North Texas, Golf, 3.89, Accounting; Lisette Lee, LSU, Golf, 3.90, BADM Finance; Louise Ostling, Arkansas, Tennis, 3.86, Journalism; Anousjka Van Exel, Tulsa, Tennis, 3.72, Exercise Science
Second Team Courtenay Chapman, Ole Miss, Tennis, 3.54, Broadcast Journalism; Ana Friganovic, New Mexico, Tennis, 3.70, Marketing/International Business; Tamie Hooper, New Mexico State, 3.88, Accounting; Rachelle Hunter, Jackson State, Tennis, 3.846, English; Terry-Anne Lacoste, Southern Mississippi, Golf, 3.75, Accounting; April Malveo, Louisiana Tech, Track and Field, 3.224, Industrial Engineering; Ivona Mihailova, Ole Miss, Tennis, 3.68, International Business; Krissy Owen, New Mexico, Track and Field, 3.81, Philosophy; Marika Tuliniemi, SMU, Track and Field, 3.71, Psychology; Janet Walker, Texas, Tennis, 3.793, Latin American Studies