USA Today Names 2006 All-USA College Academic First Team

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY named 20 students to its seventeenth annual All-USA College Academic Team, honoring them for outstanding intellectual achievement and leadership. The students will receive a $2,500 cash award.

"USA TODAY is proud to continue its commitment to honoring academic excellence and community service throughout the country," said USA TODAY editor Ken Paulson.

Following are the 20 First Team members and their hometowns: * Paul J. Angelo, United States Naval Academy Home: Columbia Station, Ohio * Mauricio Artinano, Tufts University Home: San Jose, Costa Rica * Merritt R. Baer, Harvard University Home: Denver, Colo. * Michael E. Chanin, Northwestern University Home: Macon, Ga. * Tina Marie George, The University of Scranton Home: Avoca, Pa. * Darius A. Graham, Florida A&M University Home: Charlotte, N.C. * Katherine (Kate) J. Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Home: Georgetown, Ontario, Canada * Xuan-Trang T. Ho, Nebraska Wesleyan University Home: Lincoln, Neb. * Jessica A. Hohman, Miami University at Ohio Home: Copley, Ohio * Kevin Y. Hwang, Cornell University Home: Cupertino, Calif. * William L. Hwang, Duke University Home: Potomac, Md. * Thomas W. Isherwood, University of Delaware Home: Wichita, Kan. * Jarret M. Lafleur, Georgia Institute of Technology Home: Mapleville, R.I. * Jessamyn J. Liu, United States Military Academy Home: Midlothian, Va. * Cody J. Locke, The University of Alabama Home: Boaz, Ala. * Vivek A. Mehta, University of California, Irvine Home: Orange, Calif. * Jacqueline Ou, Duke University Home: Lexington, Mass. * Hari Prabhakar, Johns Hopkins University Home: Dallas, Texas * Christopher L. Rosson, William Jewell College Home: Kansas City, Mo. * Nicholas M. Schmitz, United States Naval Academy Home: Bethesda, Md.

The team of 20 was selected by a panel of judges from more than 600 students nominated by colleges and universities across the United States. Judges considered grades, leadership, activities and, most importantly, how students extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.

For more information on these winners as well as the second- and third- team members, see the Wednesday, February 15, editions of USA TODAY or log on to allstars.usatoday.com.

Criteria for the All-USA College Academic Team were developed in consultation with USA TODAY's education co-sponsors: the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

The 2006 All-USA College Academic Team final judges were: * Frank Balz, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities * Susan Chilcott, American Association of State Colleges and Universities * Robert Dubill, Former executive editor, USA TODAY * Penelope Earley, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education * David Edelson, National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges * Arhonda Gogos, American Association for the Advancement of Science * Rae Goldsmith, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education * Kevin Kruger, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators * Tim McDonough, American Council on Education * Anna Royo, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation * Martin Snyder, American Association of University Professors * Chia-Jung Tsay, 2004 First Team, All-USA College Academic Team

USA TODAY is the nation's top-selling newspaper. It is published via satellite at 36 locations in the USA and four sites abroad. With a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. .

Included in the USA TODAY brand are USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information site on the Internet; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a weekly magazine for baseball, professional football and NASCAR enthusiasts; and USA TODAY LIVE, the television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of the newspaper to television.

First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact: