May 14, 2001

Erin Neppel, a senior and four-year member of the University of North Carolina rowing team, has been named an Exercise and Sport Science Scholar-Athlete of Distinction. She will be honored during the department's graduation ceremonies on May 20.

To commemorate outstanding scholarship in the specialized exercise science field of exercise physiology among student-athletes majoring in Exercise and Sport Science, the department created a wall entitled "The 21st Century Club, EXSS Scholar-Athletes of Distinction". The wall bears photos of and biographical information about the honored students.

The criteria for inclusion on the wall are:
1. The student-athlete must have been honored with the Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior.
2. The student-athlete must have attained an "A" as a final grade in undergraduate EXSS 89, Physiological Basis of Human Performance.
3. The student-athlete must have exemplified outstanding character befitting a Carolina graduate.

The first inductees into the 21st Century Club for the year 2000 were DeAnne Davis (track & field), Max Harris (golf), and Tripp Phillips (tennis). Neppel is the only selection for 2001.

During her four years at UNC, Neppel has excelled on and off the water. She is a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and was named All-Central Region in 2000. She also is the recipient of a Watson Scholarship and has earned spots on the Dean's List and the ACC Honor Roll. She has been honored as a Wachovia Woman of the Week, recognizing her as an outstanding female student-athlete at UNC.

Neppel is from Raleigh, where she attended Millbrook High School. Following her graduation from UNC with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science, Neppel will enroll in the doctoral program in physical therapy at the University of Pittsburgh.