TROY, N.Y. – The 2010 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 1 College Division At-Large Teams have been announced and two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes have been selected. Senior men's tennis player Alex Franz was named to the Second Team, while Whitney Kukol, a senior on the women's lacrosse team garnered Third Team recognition.

A native of Westford, Vt., Franz is a computer & systems engineering major with a 3.85 cumulative grade point average. A multiple Liberty League All-Academic and Dean's List selection, he was elected President of the Rensselaer Union for the 2009-10 school year. In that role, he oversaw an $8.9 million budget supporting 190+ clubs, intercollegiate athletics and student facilities.

Franz, who was a three-year member of the Student Union Executive Board, oversaw select clubs and organizations as a board member, including on financial and organizational issues. A member of the Phalanx Honor Society, which recognizes Rensselaer's senior leadership, he is also a member of Eta Kappa Nu (Electrical Engineering Honor Society) and the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges.

During his four year career on the men's tennis team, Franz served as a captain twice for the Engineers. Playing in a variety of flights during his tenure, the Essex High School graduate posted an 11-20 record in singles and went 5-18 in three years of doubles action. Franz will graduate in May with both his undergraduate and master's degree.

Kukol, who hails from Johnson City, N.Y., is a biology/psychology major with a 3.89 cumulative GPA. A seven-time Dean's List and three-time Liberty League honoree, she is also a multiple IWLCA Academic Squad selection. The secretary of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) E-board, she is also a member of TriBeta, a biological honor society, and is a 2009 Founders Award of Excellence recipient.

In addition to serving as a teaching assistant at Rensselaer, Kukol has been an undergraduate lab assistant and a volunteer in the emergency room of Samaritan Hospital in Troy, N.Y. She also had an article published in a scientific journal during her tenure at RPI.

A three-year member of the women's lacrosse team, Kukol served as a captain in her senior season, tallying 12 goals with two assists for 14 points, as a starter in all 14 games. She led the team in draw controls with 35 and was second on the squad in caused turnovers with 17. Kukol, who plans to attend medical school following graduation, helped lead the team to its first-ever Liberty League Tournament in 2010.

The men's tennis team posted a 1-7 mark in 2010, while the women's lacrosse team capped one of its most successful seasons in recent years with an 8-6 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the Liberty League.