The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebels Named To District Academic All-America Team
5/23/2000 | Women's Tennis
May 23, 2000
OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss women's tennis seniors Ivona and Irena Mihailova were named to the GTE/CoSIDA District VI Women's At-Large First Team released Tuesday. Both are now eligible for the national team, which will be announced in June.
Ivona and Irena are among 20 student-athletes selected to the first and second teams from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The twins from Skopje, Macedonia, earned GTE Academic All-America District VI honors for the first time in their careers.
Ivona is currently playing in the NCAA Singles Championships in Malibu, Calif. She earned All-SEC honors for the third time this year and is currently ranked No. 16 in the nation.
Off the court, Ivona earned All-SEC Academic honors three times and has been a member of the Chancellor's and Dean's Honor Rolls. A Who's Who Among American Universities and Colleges, Ivona graduated with a degree in International Business this year, and is a candidate for several postgraduate scholarships. She will begin work this fall as a consultant for a top accounting firm in Atlanta.
Irena posted a 12-8 overall record this year and went 7-3 in dual matches.
She, along with her sister, will be remembered best, as the clinching match in the Lady Rebels' 1999 SEC Tournament title.
An outstanding student-athlete, Irena is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a member of the Chancellor's Honor Roll every semester. She was named a Who's Who Among American Universities and Colleges and received the Taylor Medal for the School of Accounting, the highest academic honor at the University. Irena was a finalist for the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year Award and received a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship. She graduated this year with a degree in Accounting and already has a job with an accounting firm in Cleveland, Ohio.
In addition to helping the Lady Rebels achieve success on the court, Ivona and Irena have contributed to Ole Miss being named an ITA All-Academic team the past three years. The Lady Rebels are eligible for the award again this year with a 3.55 GPA, the highest among all sports at Ole Miss.
