Feb. 21, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame junior 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 3.42 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.
Ratay is the second Irish women’s basketball student-athlete in as many years to earn district academic recognition. 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 ranks fifth in the BIG EAST Conference in scoring at 14.6 points per game and leads the league with an .864 free throw percentage. The reigning Co-BIG EAST Player of the Week, she has come alive in her last two games, averaging 28 ppg. and shooting 56.3 percent from the field while helping Notre Dame extend its winning streak to a season-high eight games. Ratay also stands 11th in school history with 1,277 points, needing just 21 markers to crack the Top 10.
The 22nd-ranked Irish (18-7, 12-2 BIG EAST) return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. (EST) when they battle conference foe Georgetown in Washington, D.C. With a victory over the Hoyas, Notre Dame would clinch second place in the BIG EAST, the sixth time in seven years the Irish would finish first or second in the final league table.
– ND –