March 28, 2001
GREENVILLE, SC -- Four Furman athletes were named to the 2001 Verizon Academic All District III Fall/Winter At Large Team this week. Men's Soccer standout Scott Blount and cross country runner Yuri Van der Heijden were selected to the men's first team, while women's soccer player Kaye Brownlee and cross country standout Jill Braley were selected to the women's second team.
One of the most selective Verizon Academic teams, the At-Large Team consists of the top student-athletes from District III (Southeast) in swimming, cross country, soccer, and field hockey, as well as other fall or winter sports (other than basketball and volleyball).
Blount's selection to this team is just one of a long list of academic awards for the senior goalkeeper from Brentwood, Tenn. Earlier this year, Blount was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All America First Team. The award honors Blount as the top all-around goalkeeper in college soccer. In addition, Blount earned second team All America honors a year ago and is a two-time NSCAA First Team Scholar Athlete regional award winner.
Blount is a junior Economics and Business Administration major from Brentwood, Tenn., with a 3.51 Grade Point Average (GPA). He has been Furman's starting goalkeeper for the past two seasons and has tallied a 0.78 Goals Against Average over his career. In his two years as Furman's starting goalkeeper, the Paladins have enjoyed the strongest two-year stretch in the programıs history with two NCAA Tournament appearances including a quarterfinal appearance in 1999 and two national top 15 finishes.
Joining Blount on the men's first team is cross country senior Yuri Van der Heijden. Van der Heijden, from Lilburn, Ga., holds one of the top GPA's in the entire student body as a biology major with a 3.97 GPA. He is one of the top runners at Furman and is a team captain this year. Van der Heijden chairs the Furman University Student Advisory Committee and is a recipient of the Furman Bisher Scholarship, which recognizes both athletics and academic accomplishments.
Junior soccer player Kaye Brownlee adds this second team honor to a long list of accomplishments that includes this same honor a year ago. She was also a first team NSCAA Scholar Athlete All America and All Region choice this year. She is Furman's all-time leader in career assists with 47 and ranks third in career points. She became Furman's first ever first team All American as an NSCAA first team selection in 1999, and was also the Southern Conference Female Athlete-of-the-Year last season.
Brownlee is a junior Health and Exercise Science major with a 3.56 Grade Point Average (GPA) from Kennesaw, Ga. She has keyed Furman women's soccer to two straight NCAA Tournament Appearances and a national top 25 ranking in 2000.
Joining Brownlee on the women's second team is former teammate Jill Braley. Braley, a member of the Furman women's soccer team in 1997 has become one of the top runners in the Southern Conference after switching sports. Braley produced a season best time of 17:35, which ranked first in the Southern Conference regular season. She won four meets in 2000 and placed 32nd at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Braley is a senior Health and Exercise Science major with a 3.75 GPA from Marietta,Ga. She holds four academic scholarships at Furman and has made the Deanıs List every term at Furman.
Menıs First Team
Menıs Second Team
Womenıs First Team
Womenıs Second Team