FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2001


Tapp, Ross named 2001 Scholar-Athletes of the Year

GAINESVILLE – Becky Tapp of St. Petersburg Catholic High School and Bob Ross of Rockledge High School were named the 2001 FHSAA Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year at the Seventh Annual Florida High School Activities Association Academic All-State Awards Banquet held June 15 at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel in Tampa.

The two students – among the 24 chosen to the 2001 FHSAA Academic All-State Team – received a $2500 scholarship and commemorative trophy in addition to the $500 award and medallion for being selected to the team. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is generally regarded as the most prestigious award the Association confers upon a student-athlete.

Tapp finished her high school career with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and was the valedictorian in a senior class of 143 students. She earned varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and track and field her junior and senior years. Tapp will attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., studying engineering.

In addition to being a three-sport athlete, Tapp served as student body president for St. Petersburg Catholic, was a National Honor Society state officer and was involved in Peer Ministry and Mu Alpha Theta. She served as captain on the volleyball, basketball and track and field teams and was named Second Team All-Pinellas County in basketball this past season. Tapp holds three school records in track and field, as well as the school basketball record for most steals in a game, with 11, and most steals in a season.

Ross finished his high school career with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and was the valedictorian of his 314-member senior class. He earned varsity letters in swimming and diving his junior and senior years, as well as cross country his junior year and track and field his senior year. Ross will attend Duke University in Durham, N.C., where he will study bioinformatics.

Ross, Rockledge's student body vice president this last school year, was named a National Merit Scholar and an Elks Most Valuable Student finalist. He was awarded the Cape Coast Conference's Dave St. John's Memorial Scholarship and achieved such accolades as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Award and the Intersil National Honors Society Award. In addition to being captain of the swimming and diving and cross country teams, Ross served as co-captain of the Rockledge Academic Team.

Last April, 24 student-athletes – 12 boys and 12 girls – were chosen from among more than 200 qualified nominees from the Association's 562 member high schools as the 2001 FHSAA Academic All-State Team. To be eligible for selection to the team, a student must be a graduating senior, must have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of 3.5 or better, and must have earned a varsity letter in at least two different sports during their junior and senior years.

The Florida High School Activities Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida. It has a membership of 615 middle, junior and senior high schools.

Contact:
Robert Hernberger
Assistant Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 190
roberth@fhsaa.org