EORI CLAIMS CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN STATUS
ONLY SECOND SBU ATHLETE TO RECEIVE CoSIDA ALL-AMERICAN

June 15, 2004

Mark Eori

BOLIVAR, MO. … For only the second time in SBU athletic history, an athlete has been voted as a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American. Senior Mark Eori picked up this honor for his academic and athletic acheivements in the at-large division. SBU men’s tennis player Michael Obertop was the only other athlete to receive this honor in 1994.

To receive this award is quite an achievement as only 15 athletes out of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA schools in 12 vartisty athletics can be voted onto this team. Three other athletes from District VII made the first team as their district had the most athletes on the First-Team. Nick Barnes (Coe) and Garrett South (Luther) were on the first-team while UMR’s Jack Pennuto was also a first-team member and voted as the Academic All-America of the Year. District VII had six athletes voted overall to the all-America teams.

Eori was voted onto the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII At-Large First-Team earlier this month and was the first SBU athlete since 2001 to receive this honor from the district sports information directors. The last SBU athlete to be given this award was Sarah Patterson in 2001 as she was voted onto the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District First-Team for softball.

Eori helped SBU to a 24-5 record, a second straight MIAA Championship, and a second trip to the Elight Eight this past season. He was named the NCAA Division II North Central Region Arthur Ashe award winner and voted onto the all-MIAA First-Team twice at #2 singles and #1 doubles. He became the all-time singles career holder for wins at 106 with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jason Ray of Abilene Christian.

For a third straight year, he was named an ITA All-American and was an ITA National Academic award winner. He is also a three-time member of the MIAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and all-MIAA Academic team.

Last year, Eori was awarded the MIAA’s top athletic award in the Ken B. Jones award. He was only the second athlete from SBU to ever receive that award. With doubles partner Andras Bori, they won the 2002 ITA NCAA Division II National Doubles Tournament in Houston, Texas.

In May, Eori graduated with a 3.8 gpa and a degree in economics/finance. He will now move onto a job in Hungrary working for Proctor and Gamble.