Wingate’s Melissa DeLuca Named Academic All-American

Notre Dame, Ind. -- Wingate University senior setter Melissa DeLuca (Bahama, N.C.) is a 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® volleyball first team selection (college division). CoSIDA (the College Sports Information Directors of America) announces the teams each November. An Elementary Education major with a 3.93 GPA, DeLuca earns ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors for the first time in her career.

Earlier this month, DeLuca was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III volleyball first team for the second year in a row. She is the only South Atlantic Conference student-athlete to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors in volleyball this year.

Since January 1, 2000, Wingate University has produced 27 Academic All-America® selections. Wingate entered the 2007-08 academic year ranked fourth among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000s. DeLuca's selection gives Wingate 36 Academic All-America® selections all-time, tops in the South Atlantic Conference.

"It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award," DeLuca says. "I give credit to amazing teachers who have pushed me to be the best student I can be."

Earlier this week, DeLuca was named to the 2007 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honorable mention All-America volleyball team. She is the first Bulldog volleyball student-athlete to earn AVCA honorable mention All-America honors.

DeLuca's honors would fill several scrapbooks. She was named to both the 2007 AVCA and DAKTRONICS All-South Region volleyball teams this season. Wingate compiled a 33-2 overall record in 2007, winning the SAC regular season and tournament championships. The Bulldogs posted the top winning percentage in the nation this year.

"Melissa (DeLuca) is a very dedicated and organized student," Wingate head coach Shelton Collier says. "She is very committed to becoming an exceptional classroom teacher. Melissa will no doubt represent Wingate well when she begins her career."

"She is planning to attend graduate school next year as well," Collier notes. "She has a passion for preparing herself for a successful career. Melissa is a bright student, but also works very hard to succeed."

DeLuca led the South Atlantic Conference with 12.90 assists per game this season. She was 14th in the NCAA Division II in the same category. For the second consecutive year, DeLuca was the Most Valuable Player of the Food Lion SAC tournament. She is a three-time All-SAC selection.

In Wingate's final regular season match against Lincoln Memorial, DeLuca became Wingate's all-time leader in assists. Her 12.90 assists per game this season is a school record, breaking her own record from last season.

In addition, DeLuca ranked third on the Wingate team with 2.82 digs per game. She helped the Bulldogs lead the conference with a .256 hitting percentage. "Melissa DeLuca is not only an extremely talented volleyball player, but she is without question one of the most positive and caring players I have ever coached," Collier adds.

"Last year, she led a senior-oriented team to a SAC regular season and tournament championship," Collier notes. "This year, she led a freshman-oriented team to a SAC regular season and tournament championship. This in itself is an amazing accomplishment…it speaks volumes to her leadership."

"Melissa is involved in activities outside of volleyball, many having to do with community service projects," Collier acknowledges. "She is without a doubt an ideal, well-rounded student-athlete. Melissa is a truly positive influence on campus and in our athletic program."

DeLuca is a member of Wingate University's Honor Council and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition, she is a sister in the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. DeLuca is an active volunteer through her sorority and SAAC involvement. She has also attended an NCAA leadership conference during her time as a Bulldog.

The Academic All-America® Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America, a 2,000-member organization of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 15,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine - winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence - is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com or E-mail rlipe@bentley.edu.

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,041 students, offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, faith development, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers more than 40 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, education, physical education and sport administration and the doctor of pharmacy degree.

In the spring of 2007, Wingate University awarded its first-ever doctor of pharmacy degrees. Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports.

2007 ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA®
VOLLEYBALL TEAMS (COLLEGE DIVISION)

FIRST TEAM
Mallory Clements, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville
Melissa DeLuca, Wingate
&Kelly Downs, Elizabethtown
Mandy Gerolstein, South Carolina-Aiken
Amanda Morris, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
*Jori Simmons, Carthage

SECOND TEAM
Amy Anderson, Bethel (Minn.)
Katie Becofsky, New Paltz
Emily Bell, Wittenberg
Carrie Buchanan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Rachel Chizmadia, Widener
Becky Rohrbaugh, Widener
Stephanie Wilson, Southern Indiana

THIRD TEAM
Kristi Fiorillo, Clarion
Jesse Hampson, Capital
Paula Harry, Southwestern Oklahoma State
Margeaux Sinibaldi, Tampa
Laura Winkler, Kalamazoo

Academic All-America® of the Year: Kelly Downs, Elizabethtown

&ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® volleyball second team in 2006
*ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® volleyball third team in 2006