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Maryland's Juan Dixon, Wake Forest's Bea Bielik named ACC Athletes of the Year
July 18, 2002
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Maryland basketball player Juan Dixon and Wake Forest tennis player Bea Bielik have been named as the Atlantic Coast Conference male and female athletes of the year for the 2001-02 academic year, as voted on by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association. The Anthony J. McKevlin Award, named for a former sports editor of The (Raleigh) News & Observer, is presented to the ACC's top male student-athlete, while the Mary Garber Award, named for a retired Winston-Salem Journal sportswriter, is given to the top female student-athlete. Dixon recorded 29 votes, nine votes ahead of Clemson baseball player Khalil Greene who tallied 19 votes and Duke basketball player Jason Williams who recorded 10 votes. Rounding out the voting for the McKevlin Award was North Carolina football player Julius Peppers (6), Georgia Tech golfer Troy Matteson (3), Wake Forest baseball player Dave Bush (2) and Virginia lacrosse player Conor Gill (1). In the Garber voting, Bielik finished with 21 votes edging Duke golfer Virada Nirapathpongporn who totaled 19 votes. Clemson track and field performer Jamine Moton was third with eight votes followed by N.C. State track and field performer Kristin Price who tallied six votes. Rounding out the voting was Maryland field hockey player Autumn Welsh (5), Virginia soccer player Lori Lindsey (4), Florida State softball player Brandi Stuart (3), North Carolina lacrosse player Christine McPike (2) and Georgia Tech track and field performer Renee Metivier (1). Dixon, a native of Baltimore, Md., was named first team All-America by AP, NABC, Wooden, USBWA and The Sporting News as he led Maryland to its first ever national championship in men's basketball. Dixon was also tabbed the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, ACC Player of the Year and was on the ACC All-Defensive team. He received the Senior CLASS Award, recognizing the nation's top senior and was ESPN The Magazine's Shooting Guard of the Year. This season he became the all-time Maryland career scoring leader with 2,269 points as well as the all-time 3-point leader with 239. He is the only Terp besides John Lucas (1974-76) to be named first team All-ACC in three straight seasons (2000-02) and the only player in NCAA history to have collected over 2,000 points, 300 steals and 200 3-pointers. Wake Forest tennis player Bea Bielik finished her junior year as the 2002 NCAA Singles Champion. In addition, the Valley Stream, N.Y., product was named ACC Player of the Year, ITA National Player of the Year and was the winner of the Honda Award, given to the top collegiate women's tennis player. An All-American in both singles and doubles, she set a new NCAA Singles Championship record with fewest games lost (21) and her finals victory over Florida's Jessica Lehnhoff also marked her 100th career singles win. She was named All-ACC for the third straight season this year and will compete in the 2002 U.S. Open.
Anthony J. McKevlin Award Recipients
1954 Joel Shankle, Duke.................. Track & Field
Mary Garber Award Recipients
1990 Shannon Higgins, UNC...................... Soccer
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