April 5, 2001
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Greensboro, N.C. - Three national players of the year were recognized by the Atlantic Coast Conference as recipients of the first-ever ACC Scholars Awards for student-athlete excellence. Duke basketball player Shane Battier, Duke soccer player Ali Curtis and Florida State football player Chris Weinke were honored with the awards.
The ACC Scholars Awards recognize student-athletes that have performed with distinction in the classroom and in their respective sports and have demonstrated exemplary conduct in the community. The awards are reserved for graduating seniors who do not plan to attend graduate school at this time.
Battier earned National Player of the Year honors from the Associated Press, USBWA, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, ESPN.com, CBS Sportsline and Basketball Times. He was also named the recipient of the Naismith Award and is a finalist for the Wooden Award, both of which also honor the nation's top college basketball player. Battier was also recognized as a first-team All-American by AP, NABC, USBWA, The Sporting News, Basketball Times and CBS Sportsline. This season he became just the fourth player in NCAA history to record more than 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals and 200 blocked shots in a career. Furthermore, Battier was named Final Four MVP as he led the Blue Devils to the 2001 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
Curtis was recognized as the 2000 Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year and was the 1999 Hermann Trophy winner as National Player of the Year and the 1999 ACC Player of the Year. Curtis is a three-time All-American and is Duke's career leader in goals scored with 53. Curtis was drafted second overall in the 2000 MLS Draft by the Tampa Bay Mutiny.
Weinke won the 2000 Heisman Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Trophy and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also honored by College Football News as the National Player of the Year in 2000. During his career at Florida State, Weinke led the Seminoles to the 1999 National Championship at the Sugar Bowl and the 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl. He was a first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year. Weinke is also an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Winner. He set a new ACC record for career passing yards and set 26 Florida State football records.
Field hockey player Jana Toepel of the University of North Carolina also received the ACC Scholars Award. In addition, 19 athletes were awarded Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarships. Each of the scholarship recipients received $5,000 to use toward his or her graduate education.
