Two students from the University of California, Davis, have been named to this year's All-USA Academic Team, the competition's sponsor, USA Today, announced today. Darryl Wilson, a 44-year-old English major, and Edward Huynh, a 24-year-old Vietnamese refugee majoring in the biological sciences, are among 20 undergraduates nationwide chosen for the first of three academic teams. They are the only two Californians chosen. Candidates were judged on academic performance, honors, awards, rigor of academic pursuit and the ability to express themselves in writing. The two criteria given the most weight by judges were outstanding individual scholarship or intellectual achievement and leadership roles in activities on- or off-campus. Both UC Davis students will receive a $2,500 cash award. The 20 first-team members, selected from 1,253 undergraduates nominated by their colleges and universities, will receive their awards today at a ceremony in Arlington, Va. Wilson, a Native American single parent of two boys, is working on an ethnography of Northern California Native American tribal groups. "His expertise in the original native people of California has appeared in respected academic journals," according to his nominating professor, Jack Hicks, a professor of English at UC Davis. Wilson also has found his talents in demand as a valued consultant, said Hicks. The Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley made recent use of Wilson's talents in shaping a documentary film on the contribution of indigenous cultures since Columbus landed in 1492. Wilson, a senior, also was invited to the first annual meeting last summer of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute, a scientific and cultural exchange between the United States and the former U.S.S.R. "His presentation on indigenous natives in the region before and after western settlers came was first-rate," said Hicks. Huynh, a senior, didn't arrive in the United States until l985. The youngest of three children, Huynh fled the communist regime in South Vietnam with his family after three foiled escape attempts in 1975. Crossing the Gulf of Thailand under the cover of darkness in an over-crowded boat, Huynh and his family successfully made it to Thailand. However, they remained there in a concentration camp for three years. After transferring from Malaysia to the Philippines, Huynh finally arrived in the United States seven years ago with no understanding of the English language. Struggling through high school, Huynh taught himself English and eventually graduated from Valley High School in Sacramento with a "B" average. Supporting himself by working 20 to 30 hours a week, Huynh is also involved with the Asian community as a public health aid. "Considering the difficulties that Huynh has overcome in his life, to have arrived at this academic level so quickly is inspirational," said UC Davis nominating professor Thomas Schoener, in the zoology department. "He is a rare sort of student who will stand out in my memory." Huynh will be attending graduate school next fall and plans eventually to pursue a career in medicine. Wilson also is thinking of attending graduate school and working within the Native American community. This is the third year USA Today has named a college academic team. Criteria for the team were developed by USA Today, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.