Athletic Report
May 21, 2002

TURNER NAMED TO FIRST TEAM VERIZON ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SQUAD
Nix Selected for Second Team Honors
PORTALES, NM – Eastern New Mexico University senior tennis player Layla Turner (Casa Grande, AZ/Casa Grande Union H.S.) has been named First Team Verizon Academic All-District VI on the Women’s At-Large Team for Spring 2002 as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). A total of 10 players were named First Team Academic All-District VI. An additional 10 players, including sophomore tennis player Bethanie Nix (Spring, TX/Newman Smith H.S.) of ENMU, were named to the Second Team.

Turner (#1 Singles/#3 Doubles) is majoring in Elementary Education and has earned a 3.62 cumulative grade point average. This season, she achieved a 22-5 singles record and was 19-3 in doubles.

During four years with the Zias, she accumulated a 93-19 singles record (.830) and an 83-27 doubles record (.755). She was named to the Lone Star Conference All-Academic Team in 2000-01 and 2001-02. She was nationally ranked in singles all four years. She is currently ranked #37 in NCAA Division II.

Turner concluded the 2000-01 season ranked #18 in the nation and qualified as an ITA All-American. She also earned ITA Scholar-Athlete All-American honors in 2000-01. She has been named to the ENMU Athletic Honor Roll all seven semesters. Turner won the ITA/Rolex Regional title in singles three times and in doubles once. She placed third at the ITA/Rolex National Tournament in singles this past fall. She was sixth in 1999 and fourth in 2000 in singles. She placed fifth in doubles in 1999.

Nix (#2 Singles, #2 Doubles) is majoring in Psychology and owns a 3.59 cumulative GPA. She achieved a 21-6 singles record and a 15-8 doubles record this season. She has a career record of 36-12 in singles and 32-16 in doubles in two years at ENMU.

Nix and Turner reached the finals of the ITA/Rolex Regional Tournament in doubles in 2000-01 and advanced to the semifinals in 2001-02. Nix was named to the LSC All-Academic Team this season. CoSIDA District VI includes colleges and universities in New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

Players nominated for the Verizon Academic All-District Team were starters or key reserves with cumulative GPAs of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Each athlete had to be at her current college or university for at least on full year.