FAIRFAX, Va. – Three
rising seniors on the University
of West Alabama volleyball team
were named to the 2009 Arthur
Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars Team,
announced by the publication
Diverse: Issues in Higher
Education. Ana Gabriela
Pedrosa and Jazlyn Wright were
tabbed to the First Team, while
Jessica Crook earned Second Team
honors.
To be eligible for the award
students must have a cumulative
grade point average of 3.2 or
higher. They must have
completed one full academic year
at the nominating institution
along with being an active
member of an intercollegiate
athletic team during the 2008-09
academic year. Candidates must
have a demonstrated record of
service to the campus or
community.
This year marked the 14th
consecutive year that the
publication has announced the
Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar
Team. UWA was the lone Gulf
South Conference institution
represented on the nation-wide
academic award along with being
one of just two NCAA Division II
schools listed.
The Tiger trio has been a
mainstay in the program during
the past two seasons, as UWA has
totaled 49 wins during that span
and had a pair of trips to the
GSC Tournament. That success
has carried over into the
classroom for Pedrosa, Wright
and Crook. Pedrosa, a native of
Belo Horizonte, Brazil, has
accumulated a 3.65 GPA in
accounting. Wright, from
Snellville, Ga., posted a 3.75
GPA in elementary education.
Crook sports a 3.61 in the
history education curriculum.
On the court, Pedrosa and Crook
earned All-GSC honors, as the
duo guided the Red and White to
a 22-11 overall mark in 2008.
