ODU USA TODAY ACADEMIC TEAM NOMINEES NAMED

Ankit Kothari, a native of India, and Aprilfaye Manalang of Virginia Beach have been selected to represent Old Dominion University in USA Today's 2003-04 All-USA College Academic Team competition. Winners will be announced in the newspaper in February.

USA Today honors outstanding students annually by naming its All-USA College Academic Team. The 10 students selected to the All-USA First Team will be pictured in the newspaper and receive a $2,500 cash award. Forty runners-up will be named to the Second and Third teams and will receive certificates of achievement and have their names in the newspaper.

Kothari plans to graduate with a degree in computer science in December 2004. The son of Dilip Kothari, he has received numerous scholarships and honors, including the "Quiet Influence Award" from the Office of Sutdent Activities and Leadership for his work with a computer-education program.

Manalang, a sociology and communication major, plans to graduate in December 2003. The daughter of Florian and Artemio Manalang, she hopes to pursue a career in academia and community service. She is currently
involved at the Filipino American Center in a project to help preserve native Filipino culture through the development of children's curricula, storytelling, history and ancient native script.

Both Kristine Gonzalez, a 1999 Old Dominion graduate from Suffolk, and Rosemarie Liu, a 2002 graduate from Burke, Va., were named to the competition's Third Team in the last four years. Linda K. Wolfe, a 2003 ODU graduate, received Honorable Mention honors in last year's contest.