State College, Pa. - March 7, 2002 - Penn State Nittany Lion senior Tyler Smith (Lake Bluff, Ill.) has been named to the Verizon Academic All-America team, earning third team honors. The team is voted on by the nation's sports information directors.

Smith, who was a first team Academic All-District pick, will also be grabbing his third straight Academic All-Big Ten honor this year as well. A telecommunications major that will graduate this May, Smith sports a 3.45 grade point average.

A four-year letterman for the Nittany Lions, Smith has been the team's co-captain this season. The only returning starter from last year's Sweet 16 team, Smith has averaged 12.1 ppg game this season while grabbing 4.9 rpg. He shot .456 from the field, tops among the starters, and had 27 steals and 39 assists. Smith's honor is the sixth such honor for a Penn State player. John Amaechi earned two first team nods, including Academic All-American of the Year in 1995; Pete Lisicky earned two second team nods and Dan Earl was a third team pick.

For his career, Smith has scored 708 points and grabbed 412 rebounds (heading into the Big Ten Tournament). His .419 career three-point percentage (54-129) is second all-time at Penn State.

The complete 2002 Verizon Academic All-America University Division Men's Basketball Team is as follows:

First Team
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Matt Bonner Florida Jr. Concord, N.H. 3.97 Business Admin.
Wes Burtner Belmont Sr. Winchester, Ky. 3.82 Management
Eric Channing New Mexico St. Sr. Wheaton, Ill. 3.89 Management
Dan Dickau Gonzaga Sr. Vancouver, Wash. 3.40 Broadcasting
Patrick Jackson Ball State Sr. Muncie, Ind. 3.53 Business
Second Team
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Mike Dunleavy Duke Jr. Lake Oswego, Ore. 3.26 Markets & Mgmnt.
Adam Mark Belmont So. Bremen, Ind. 3.90 Mathematics
Bill Phillips Saint Joseph's Gr. Collegeville, Pa. 3.63 Financial Services
McEverett Powers UT-San Antonio Sr. Memphis, Tenn. 3.50 Information Systems
Jobey Thomas Charlotte Sr. Charlotte, N.C. 3.53 Communications
Third Team
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Tim Lyle James Madison Sr. Poca, W. Va. 3.77 Integrated Science
Luke Recker Iowa Sr. Auburn, Ind. 3.29 Health, Leisure & Sports
Predrag Savovic Hawaii Sr. Herceg Novi, Yug. 3.25 Intl. Bus. & Finance
Tyler Smith Penn State Sr. Lake Bluff, Ill. 3.45 Telecommunications
J.R. Vanhoose Marshall Sr. Paintsville, Ky. 3.44 History
Verizon Academic All-American of the Year: Matt Bonner, Florida