The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters Make The Grade
6/21/1999 | Men's Tennis
April 15, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. - Five members of the No. 5 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team were named to the 1998 Southeastern Conference Men's Tennis Academic Honor Roll released Wednesday.
David Blackburn, Ben Cousins, Sebastien DeChaunac, Barry Hassell and Martin Sjoqvist were one of 45 student-athletes named to the honor roll. Blackburn, a native of Vicksburg, Miss., was one of three student-athletes to boast a perfect 4.0 grade point average. A member of the Chancellor's Honor Roll every semester, Blackburn is a sophomore Accounting major.
"These guys put the word student in student-athlete," Head Coach Billy Chadwick said. "It is a tremendous accomplishment to be a member of one of the top teams in the nation and to achieve a high level of success in the classroom. I am proud of David, Ben, Sebastien, Barry and Martin for their dedication and hard work."
Cousins, a native of Memphis, Tenn., holds a 3.75 GPA in Biological Science and is a senior in academic classification, while only a sophomore in eligibility. A product of Vicksburg, Miss., Hassell carries a 3.53 GPA in General Business.
DeChaunac holds an impressive 3.85 GPA in Economics, while being the nation's No. 4 ranked player. He is currently 14-6 at the No. 1 position. DeChaunac finished the 1997 season No. 2 in the nation and reached the NCAA Semifinals, while posting a 4.0 grade point average for the spring.
Sjoqvist owns a 3.55 GPA in General Business. He is a member of the Chancellor's Honor Roll and is currently 9-6 at No. 3 singles and ranked No. 32 in the nation.
To be eligible for the honor roll, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade point average for either the past year or for her career, be a sophomore or higher in academic classification and have 24 semester or 26 quarter hours countable toward a degree.
Ole Miss will be competing in the SEC Tournament this weekend in Auburn, Ala. The Rebels, defending SEC Tournament champions, are seeded fourth and will meet the winner of the Tennessee/Arkansas match Friday at 2:30 p.m.
