web Charlotte

June 19, 2009

Charlotte, N.C. - Charlotte 49ers senior track star Lamarra Currie (Apex, N.C.), a 4.0 psychology major who was the Atlantic 10 Champion in the indoor 55 and 200 meter runs and outdoor 100, 200 and 4x100 races, was named first team ESPN The Magazine Academic all-America in the sport of women's track and field and cross country, for the second straight year.

Currie, who was named the 2009 A-10 Student Athlete of the Year in both women's indoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field, has led Charlotte to eight straight league titles over her four-year career. In 2008, she was the A-10's Indoor and Outdoor Most Outstanding Track Performer and earned USTFCCA all-America honors. This year, she qualified for the NCAA Championships in the indoor 60 meter dash and the outdoor 100, 200 and 4x100 meter races.

Following her senior campaign, she was awarded the A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship, the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and the NCAA Ethnic Minority Postgraduate Scholarship. She was also a national finalist for the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award.

She joins women's soccer star Nikki Labuda Czaplicki as 49ers who have been named first team ESPN The Magazine Academic all-America this year. Currie joins former women's soccer star Lindsey Ozimek as the only 49ers who have earned first team academic all-America honors twice in their careers. Ozimek was a first-teamer in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Men's track and field sophomore standout Darius Law (Raleigh, N.C.), who owns a 4.0 GPA as an accounting major and was named the 2009 A-10 Indoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Performer, earned second-team ESPN The Magzine Academic all-America honors.

Law led the 49ers to sweep of the A-10 titles in 2009, taking top performer honors at the indoor meet and claiming individual titles in the 200, 400 and 4x400 meter races. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 200 and 400 meter runs and was the only athlete at the NCAA East Region to advance to the championships in both events.

He was named the 2009 A-10 Men's Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

The 49ers had a total of five players earn ESPN The Magazine Academic all-America honors this past year, matching the school record set in 2006-07:

2008-09 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America:
Lamarra Currie, 1st team (Women's Track and Field)
Nikki Czlaplicki, 1st team (Women's Soccer)
Hailey Beam, 2nd team (Women's Soccer)
Darius Law, 2nd team (Men's Track and Field)
Adam Gross, 3rd team (Men's Soccer)

49ers All-Time Academic all-America Award-Winners:
1984-85 - Siobhan Riley (At-Large, Women's Tennis) - 3rd team

1985-86 - Craig Brown (At-Large. Men's Soccer) - 1st team
1985-86 - Steve Wagoner (Baseball) - 2nd team

1987-88 - Steve Wagoner (Baseball) - 2nd team

1991-92 - Chris Mark (At-Large, Men's Tennis) - 2nd team

1992-93 - Chris Mark (At-Large, Men's Tennis) - 2nd team

1996-97 - Jim Kunevicius (At-Large, Men's Soccer) - 2nd team

1997-98 - Jim Kunevicius (At-Large, Men's Soccer) - 1st team
1997-98 - Tiffany Howard (Softball) - 3rd team

2000-01 - Karin Levin (Women's Track and Field/Cross Country) - 2nd team

2001-02 - Ola Jonsson (At Large, Men's Tennis) - 1st team
2001-02 - Jobey Thomas (Men's Basketball) - 2nd team

2003-04 - Sharonda Johnson (Women's Track and Field) - 3rd team
2003-04 - Lindsay Duncan (Women's Soccer) - 3rd team

2005-06 - Michael Ambrose (Baseball) - 1st team
2005-06 - Sharonda Johnson (Women's Track and Field) - 2nd team
2005-06 - Cassie Ficken (Women's Track and Field/Cross Country) - 2nd team
2005-06 - Lindsey Beam (Women's Soccer) - 3rd team

2006-07 - Lindsey Beam Ozimek (Women's Soccer) - 1st team
2006-07 - Jane Daniels (Women's Track and Field/Cross Country) - 1st team
2006-07 - Nikki Labuda (Women's Soccer) - 2nd team
2006-07 - Sharonda Johnson (Women's Track and Field) - 2nd team
2006-07 - Kelsie Ormsby (Women's Soccer) - 3rd team

2007-08 - Lindsey Beam Ozimek (Women's Soccer) - 1st team
2007-08 - Lamarra Currie (Women's Track and Field) - 1st team
2007-08 - Jonas Enander Hedin (At-Large, Men's Golf) - 2nd team

2008-09 - Lamarra Currie (Women's Track and Field) - 1st team
2008-09 - Nikki Labuda Czlaplick (Women's Soccer) - 1st team
2008-09 - Darius Law (Men's Track and Field) - 2nd team
2008-09 - Hailey Beam (Women's Soccer) - 2nd team
2008-09 - Adam Gross (Men's Soccer) - 3rd team