May 16, 2002

SAN DIEGO - San Diego State senior swimmer Heather DeFelice and junior tennis player Silvia Tornier have been named to the Verizon Academic All-District VIII Women's At-Large Team, announced Thursday. Tornier earned a spot on the second team and DeFelice a place on the third team. The team is selected annually by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). SDSU is one of six schools to place multiple student-athletes on the list.

The at-large category includes student-athletes in the following sports: crew, gymnastics, skiing, fencing, ice hockey, swimming, water polo, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis, golf and rifle.

To be nominated for the prestigious award, the student-athlete is required to be a major contributor to their team and maintain at least a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average. Tornier holds a 3.84 grade-point average as a kinesiology major and DeFelice, who is majoring in liberal studies, has a 3.66 GPA.

Tornier played No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles on the 26th-ranked SDSU tennis squad that adanced to the first round of the 2002 NCAA tournament. She posted an 18-7 dual record this season and is currently ranked 69th nationally in singles. She was named the Mountain West Conference's player of the year and was selected to the league's singles and doubles teams for the second consecutive season.

DeFelice set school records in the 50 freestyle (23.62) and 100 freestyle (52.10) during the 2001-02 season. Along with those record marks, she also swam the team's fastest times in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.05) and 200 breaststroke (2:19.91). She is also a two-time academic all-Mountain West Conference selection.