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Maryland's Juan Dixon Named ACC Male Athlete of the Year
Final Four Most Outstanding Player joins Wake Forest's Bea Bielik as recipients of the conference's top honors.

Maryland basketball MVP Juan Dixon can add ACC Male Athlete of the Year honors to his already impressive resume.

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 NC 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.

Three other Terrapins have captured the McKelvin Award since its inception in 1954: John Lucas (Basketball/Tennis, 1976), Renaldo Nehemiah (Track & Field, 1979), Len Bias (Basketball, 1986).

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 ACC Male Athlete of the Year

1954 Joel Shankle, Duke........................ Track & Field 1955 Dickie Hemric, WFU........................... Basketball 1956 Dave Sime, Duke................ Track & Field/Basketball 1957 Lennie Rosenbluth, UNC....................... Basketball 1958 Dick Christy, NCS.............................. Football 1959 Lou Pucillo, NCS............................. Basketball 1960 Mike McGee, Duke............................... Football 1961 Roman Gabriel, NCS............................. Football 1962 Len Chappell, WFU............................ Basketball 1963 Art Heyman, Duke............................. Basketball 1964 Jeff Mullins, Duke........................... Basketball 1965 Brian Piccolo, WFU............................. Football 1966 Danny Talbott,UNC..................... Football/Baseball 1967 Bobby Bryant, USC..................... Football/Baseball 1968 Larry Miller, UNC............................ Basketball 1969 Frank Quayle, UVa.............................. Football 1970 Charlie Scott, UNC........................... Basketball 1971 Don McCauley, UNC.............................. Football 1972 Barry Parkhill, UVa.......................... Basketball 1973 David Thompson, NCS.......................... Basketball 1974 Tony Waldrop, UNC......................... Track & Field 1975 David Thompson, NCS.......................... Basketball 1976 John Lucas, Md........................ Basketball/Tennis 1977 Phil Ford, UNC............................... Basketball 1978 Phil Ford, UNC............................... Basketball 1979 Renaldo Nehemiah, Md...................... Track & Field 1980 Julie Shea, NCS........................... Track & Field 1981 Julie Shea, NCS........................... Track & Field 1982 James Worthy, UNC............................ Basketball 1983 Ralph Sampson, UVa........................... Basketball 1984 Michael Jordan, UNC.......................... Basketball 1985 B.J. Surhoff, UNC.............................. Baseball 1986 Len Bias, Md................................. Basketball 1987 Riccardo Ingram, GaT................ Football/Basketball 1988 Danny Ferry, Duke............................ Basketball 1989 Danny Ferry, Duke............................ Basketball 1990 Clarkston Hines, Duke.......................... Football 1991 Christian Laettner, Duke..................... Basketball 1992 Christian Laettner, Duke..................... Basketball 1993 Charlie Ward, FSU................... Football/Basketball 1994 Charlie Ward, FSU................... Football/Basketball 1995 Randolph Childress, WFU...................... Basketball 1996 Kris Benson, Clem.............................. Baseball 1997 Tim Duncan, WFU.............................. Basketball 1998 Antawn Jamison, UNC.......................... Basketball 1999 Elton Brand, Duke............................ Basketball 2000 Joe Hamilton, Georgia Tech..................... Football 2001 Shane Battier, Duke.......................... Basketball 2002 Juan Dixon, Md............................... Basketball

Mary Garber Award Recipients ACC Female Athlete of the Year

1990 Shannon Higgins, UNC............................. Soccer 1991 Dawn Staley, UVa............................. Basketball 1992 Dawn Staley, UVa............................. Basketball 1993 Mia Hamm, UNC.................................... Soccer 1994 Mia Hamm, UNC.................................... Soccer 1995 Tisha Venturini, UNC............................. Soccer 1996 Kelly Amonte, Md........................ Soccer/Lacrosse 1997 Sarah Forbes, Md............................... Lacrosse 1998 Vanessa Webb, Duke............................... Tennis 1999 Cindy Parlow, UNC................................ Soccer 2000 Jen Adams, Maryland............................ Lacrosse 2001 Jen Adams, Maryland.............,.............. Lacrosse 2002 Bea Bielik, Wake Forest.......................... Tennis