Six Sooners Named to Academic All-Big 12 Teams

NORMAN, Okla. Six Oklahoma men's tennis players were named to the 2005 Academic All-Big 12 team as announced by the league office Tuesday. Seniors Ondrej Fukala and Silviu Tanasoiu, juniors Tommy Garrison, Lee Gregg and Alexei Ivaonov earned first team honors while sophomore Marek Velicka was a second team selection.

Garrison was given special recognition as one of three student-athletes with a superior 4.00 grade-point average, marking his second consecutive scholastic acknowledgement from the Big 12. Garrison recently recieved OU's outstanding male athlete of the year award for his academic and athletic achievement at OU as well.

This is also the second consecutive year for Tanasoiu and Ivanov to be named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. Fukala, Ivanov and Gregg were a part of the ITA Academic All-American teams last year, while Garrison and Tanasoiu have made the list two years straight.

The league named 18 men to be first team and six student-athletes to the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify student-ahtletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshman and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence.

For more information on OU men's tennis, visit www.SoonerSports.com.

2005 Academic All-Big 12 Men's Tennis TEAM
First Team (3.20-plus grade point average; *indicates nominated with a 4.00 GPA)

Name, School Class Major Hometown
Ondrej Fukala, Oklahoma Sr. General Management Prerov, Czech Republic
*Tommy Garrison, Oklahoma Jr. Zoology Enid, Okla.
Lee Gregg, Oklahoma Jr. Pre-HSS Altus, Okla.
Alexei Ivanov, Oklahoma Jr. Management Information Systems Izhevsk, Russia
Silviu Tanasoiu, Oklahoma Sr. Psychology Sibiu, Romania

Second Team (3.00 to 3.19 GPA)
Name, School Class Major Hometown

Marek Velicka, Oklahoma So. Business-Undecided Prerov, Czech Republic