February 21, 2003

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . Four Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) basketball players, two women and two men, were named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-District VII Teams as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.

Buena Vista University senior Chris Petersen (Audubon, Iowa/Audubon HS) and Simpson College senior Jesse Harris (Clive, Iowa/Valley HS) were both named to the Verizon Academic All-District VII First Team. Simpson College senior Tiffany Whitsell (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy HS) was named to the Verizon Academic All-District VII Second Team and Central College senior Amy Steenhoek (Pella, Iowa/Pella HS) was named to the Third Team.

Petersen, an accounting major, and Harris, a history and political science double-major, are now placed on the Verizon Academic All-America® ballot. The Verizon Academic All-America® Team will be announced on March 6. Harris, a three-time First Team Academic All-District selection, was a First Team Verizon Academic All-America® in 2002. Petersen was a Third Team Academic All-District selection in 2002.

Whitsell, a biology (pre-med) major, and Steenhoek, a general studies major, were the only Division III student-athletes named to the 15-member College Division (NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA) All-District Team.

To be eligible for selection to the Verizon Academic All-District Team and the Verizon Academic All-America® Team, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing, be a starter or key reserve and possess at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).

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