Raber and Iacchelli collect Arthur Ashe Award

Lincoln - Nebraska soccer players Selenia Iacchelli and Sari Raber recently joined nine other Husker student-athletes in earning recognition as Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholars by Diverse Issues in Eduacation. The awards recognize the achievements of student-athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds both on and off their fields of competition and are a tribute to the legacy of Arthur Ashe Jr.

Raber, a junior midfielder, earned first-team honors from the publication, after being named to the second team last year. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in psychology. Raber and five other Nebraska student-athletes earned first-team honors from the publication. Raber hails from British Columbia, Canada.

Iacchelli was also a repeat selection, making her way onto the second team this year. She is a junior midfielder that is majoring in nutritional science and dietetics at Nebraska. Three Huskers were named to the second team. Iacchelli is a native of Alberta, Canada.

Nebraska's 11 Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholars came to Lincoln from seven countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Sweden, Belgium and Latvia.

To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2; and be active on their campuses or in their communities.

University of Illinois tennis player Momei Qu and Hampton University football player Marcus Dixon ? were selected as the Sports Scholars of the Year for best exemplifying the standards of scholarship, athleticism and humanitarianism. To learn more about the Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholars Program, visit www.diverseeducation.com.

2008 Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar Award Winners

• Sarah Pavan (Volleyball), Sr., Kitchener, Ontario, Canada - First Team

• Rachel Carrizales (Track and Field/Cross Country), Jr., Morrill, Neb. - First Team

• Kelsey Ida (Swimming and Diving), So., Highlands Ranch, Colo. - First Team

• Sari Raber (Soccer), Jr., Richmond, British Columbia, Canada - First Team

• Renato Melo (Men's Tennis), Jr., Belo Horizonte, Brazil - First Team

• Daniel Christensen (Track & Field), Jr., Omaha, Neb. - First Team

• Wiveca Swarting (Women's Tennis), So., Stockholm, Sweden - Second Team

• Francois Van Impe (Men's Tennis), So., Brussels, Belgium - Second Team

• Selenia Iacchelli (Soccer), Jr., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - Second Team

• Natalja Zarcenko (Track and Field/Cross Country), Jr., Valmeira, Latvia - Third Team

• Marianne Cicmanec (Women's Tennis), Jr., Kirchdorf, Germany - Third Team