June 15, 2012

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - California women's tennis senior Jana Juricova has been named one of 10 Pac-12 Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced on Friday. The award, presented by Toyo Tires, honors collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

"It is always a challenge selecting the Pac-12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year because there are so many remarkable student-athletes in our Conference," Scott said. "The Pac-12 is extremely proud of its heritage of academic and athletic excellence, and this group of student-athletes is an example of achieving balance and success at the highest levels."

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility), on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport's regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.

Juricova, who recently completed her Golden Bear career, became the first student-athlete in the history of the women's tennis program to earn First Team Pac-12 All-Academic honors three times. The senior owned a 3.67 grade point average as a political economy major.

She finished her senior season ranked eighth nationally in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll with a 30-7 overall singles record and a 27-6 doubles mark paired with Zsofi Susanyi and Anett Schutting. Juricova, the 2011 NCAA singles champion, advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championships this spring.

The Golden Bear was the recipient of the ITA National Senior Player of the Year award at the NCAA Championships. Juricova was also one of three Golden Bears to receive a Pac-12 Conference Post-Graduate Scholarship, honoring outstanding student-athletes intending to pursue graduate studies that includes a $3,000 stipend for graduate work, at the California Academic Honors Luncheon in May.

Juricova and the women's tennis team were publically recognized by the NCAA in its Academic Progress Rates (APR) on Thursday for earning a multiyear APR score in the top 10 percent of all squads in their sport. Cal finished the highest in the final ITA rankings (seventh) among the schools lauded in the NCAA's Academic Performance Program.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12's 22 sponsored sports: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf, women's gymnastics, men's rowing, women's rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's track & field, women's track & field, women's volleyball, and wrestling.

Scholar-Athletes of the Year in each sport will receive a commemorative award. Toyo® will donate $1,000 to the scholarship funds of the institution's athletic department of each winner in recognition of their accomplishments. "Toyo is proud to support the Pac-12 and to acknowledge outstanding student-athletes for their efforts," said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. "By supporting today's achievers, we feel we are helping to grow tomorrow's leaders."

Juricova received the award along with Andrew Triggs, (USC - Baseball), Katelyn Boyd, Arizona State - Softball), Jonnie Motomochi (Oregon State - Men's Golf), Giulia Molinaro (Arizona State - Women's Golf), Sam Ojserkis (Washington - Men's Rowing), Marielle Higgins (Stanford - Women's Rowing), Ryan Thacher (Stanford - Men's Tennis), Chris Derrick (Stanford - Men's Track and Field) and Brianne Thiesen (Oregon - Women's Track and Field).

The Pac-12 Conference, in cooperation with Pac-12 corporate partner Toyo Tires, established the "Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, presented by Toyo Tires" during the 2007-08 academic year.