BUFFALO, NY - University at Buffalo sophomore point guard Catherine Jacob (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills) is one of five student-athletes from five different schools in the New York/New England region who have been selected to the GTE Academic All-District I Women's Basketball Team, as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). Jacob is now eligible for selection to the national GTE Academic All-America Team, to be announced March 20.

A Mechancical Engineering major with a 3.902 cumulative grade-point average, Jacob is the UB Royals starting point guard. Jacob and the Royals will take their 21-5 overall record into the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament, March 6-8 at Alumni Arena, with a bid to the 1997 NCAA Women's Basketball Championships at stake.

Jacob has started all 26 games this season and has averaged 11.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Jacob is ranked 17th in the nation in assists per game (6.0) and 22nd in the nation in free throw percentage (.840).

She set a school record as a freshman with 163 assists and already has 153 this season. The Pittsburgh native is shooting 45.4% from the floor this season and 33.8% from three-point range this season. A Dean's List member each of her semesters at Buffalo she is also a UB Scholar-Athlete.

She has started 55 of 57 career games at UB with the Royals compiling a 44-13 record during that time. She was named to the All-Tournament team at the St. Joseph's Hawk Classic this season after scoring 17 points against #18 Kansas and 21 points against Hartford.

Jacob came to Buffalo after an outstanding career at Penn Hills High School where she helped lead her team to two WPIAL Championships, four sectional titles and second place in the state tournament. She was the Tribune Review's Player of the Year her senior season. The Royals have now won 20 or more games in four straight seasons.