Feb. 20, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the second consecutive season, University of Notre Dame senior guard Alicia Ratay (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich HS) has been selected to the Verizon Academic All-District V University Division Second Team, it was announced Thursday. She holds a 3.483 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) with a double major in psychology and education.
To be nominated for inclusion on the academic all-district squad, student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic status at his/her current institution, and must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA. The District V University Division ballot included student-athletes from NCAA Division I institutions in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, along with the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.
With Ratay’s back-to-back selections, the Irish now have had three women’s basketball student-athletes earn district academic recognition in the last three seasons. Ruth Riley was a first-team all-district choice in 2001, paving the way for her eventual selection as the Verizon Academic All-America Women’s Basketball Team Member of the Year, as well as the overall Verizon Academic All-America Team Member of the Year.
Ratay is third on the team in scoring this season at 11.7 points per game and ranks second in the BIG EAST Conference (17th in the nation) with an .873 free throw percentage. The reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week, she has come alive in her last two games, averaging 24.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 61.9 percent from the field (76.9 percent from the three-point line). Ratay also stands fourth in school history with 1,643 points, and ranks among the top 10 in NCAA history in career three-point percentage (first – .481) and career free throw percentage (sixth – .869). At her current pace, she would become the only player in NCAA history to rank among the top 10 in both categories.
Notre Dame (15-8, 7-5 BIG EAST) return to action Sunday at 2 p.m. (EST) when they travel to Storrs, Conn., to battle No. 1 Connecticut. That game will be broadcast live on College Sports Television (CSTV) and Connecticut Public Television (CPTV), and it may be seen in the South Bend area on WNDU-TV (Channel 16) on a tape-delayed basis beginning at 4 p.m. (EST).
— ND —