FERRIS STATE DUO GARNERS VERIZON ACADEMIC HONORS

Seniors Steve Picucci, Adrianne Desenzio Named To Academic All-District IV Teams

An automotive engineering technology major, Picucci was one of 10 first-team honorees and joined Grand Valley State’s Nick Hoeve along with Kevin Pline and Karl Walczak of Michigan Tech as the only Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)-member school men’s first-team representatives. To be eligible, student-athletes must have reached at least sophomore status academically, maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and also be a starter or key reserve for their team. The District IV team is comprised of colleges and universities located in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Desenzio, a math education major, joined Shannon Antvelink of Grand Valley State as the only league representatives among the 10 women’s second-team selections.

Picucci, who garnered league indoor track and field all-academic kudos for the third time this campaign, was the recipient of the team’s 2002-03 Bulldog Award. The 2002 All-GLIAC Men’s Cross Country Second Team honoree compiled seven top-eight performances during the 2002-03 indoor campaign, including a runner-up finish (15:45.15) in the 5,000 meters at the Lewis Friday Night Series #2 meet (1/31) in Romeoville, Ill. He recorded FSU’s top outdoor season performance (15:21.47) in the 5,000 meters at the Indianapolis Invitational (3/29) and twice placed among the top seven competitors. Picucci registered league all-academic team honors 11 times during his FSU career in men’s cross country along with indoor and outdoor track and field. He placed 14th overall (25:41.6) in the 2002 GLIAC Cross Country Championships (10/26) at Milford, Mich. Picucci, who notched five top 15 cross country finishes in 2002, twice was named the GLIAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week this season by virtue of claiming two individual titles – the Northwood Invitational (9/6) and FSU’s Bulldog Invitational (9/27).

Senior Adrianne Desenzio garnered second-team academic all-district kudos

Desenzio, who received Ferris’ 2002-03 Most Outstanding Field Event Athlete Award, earned All-GLIAC honors with a third-place (17-4.50) long jump finish at the 2003 GLIAC Outdoor Championships (May 2-3) in University Center, Mich. A 2002-03 GLIAC Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Team honoree, Desenzio also garnered all-league indoor track and field laurels by placing third (34-0.75) in the triple jump at the 2002-03 GLIAC Indoor Championships (2/28-3/1) in University Center. She set a school and personal career-best indoor pole vault mark (11-0.25) at the GVSU Laker Challenge (2/14) in Allendale, Mich. The 2002-03 NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Provisional National Qualifier broke the school’s outdoor pole vault record (11-3.50) with a first-place performance at FSU’s Bulldog Invitational (4/12) in Big Rapids. The four-time academic all-conference pick recorded a combined five first-place indoor and outdoor pole vault finishes this campaign.

FSU placed fourth in the women’s field (84 points) and seventh (41) in the men’s competition at the 2003 GLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships under seventh-year head coach Jeff Kavalunas. The women’s team finished sixth (42.5) while the men’s team was eighth (18) at the conference indoor meet. Ferris also took eighth place in both the men’s and women’s divisions at the league cross country championships.

This year marks the 51st anniversary of the Verizon Academic All-America program, which was founded by CoSIDA in 1952 to recognize collegiate student-athletes for their outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the playing field. Over the past 50 years, the Verizon Academic All-America program has grown into one of the most recognized and prestigious collegiate scholar-athlete awards nationwide, honoring student-athletes from all NCAA championship sports.