Colorado University Athletics
CU Honors Its Academic Best
April 21, 2009 | Cross Country, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Track and Field, Women's Golf, Soccer, Volleyball, Skiing
BOULDER-- Over three dozen University of Colorado student-athletes, including 14 with perfect 4.00 grade point averages last year, were honored for a variety of outstanding academic accomplishments Tuesday at the 17th Annual Student-Athlete Recognition Luncheon.
Over 250 people attended the event, held in the Byron White Club Lounge of the CU's east stadium addition.
The Clancy A. Herbst, Jr., Student-Athlete Achievement Award was presented to senior golfer Derek Tolan. Presented to an athlete who overcame personal, academic or emotional difficulties to succeed both academically and athletically, Tolan, a Sociology major, has overcome a lot since he arrived at CU in January 2005. He had to delay his enrollment after being in a near-fatal automobile accident that fractured an ankle, and early in his career he had to deal with the death of longtime CU head coach Mark Simpson. And all while dealing with the pressure to succeed after qualifying for and playing in the U.S. Open as a 16-year old.
Two Big 12 Conference Community Outreach Awards, for strong commitment to service within the community, were presented to Maurice Cantrell (football) and Kirstin Radlinski (soccer). The two Big 12 Conference Medal Awards, for those who are completing their eligibility with an outstanding record of athletics and scholarship, were earned by Patrick Grady (golf) and Jenny Barringer (women's indoor and outdoor track; she does have a cross country season remaining).
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Four students were presented with the Scholar-Athlete Award, as the recipients include a member of the sophomore and junior classes and male and female members from the senior class who have accumulated the highest cumulative grade point average in their respective class (and are awarded by academic year, not eligibility class). The winners were:
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Karl Nygren
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Rachel Gioscia |
Emily Hanenburg |
Jamie Befort |
 Coach Mark Wetmore and the CU women's cross country team accept the Academic Team Award for the Fall |
In 2008, 14 student-athletes studied to perfection, as in 4.00 grade point averages for at least one semester if not the full year, and were inducted into CU's 4.0 club; membership now stands at 187 members since 1994. Those honored were Gioscia, Hanenburg, Brittany Dornself (soccer), Trey Eckloff (basketball), Jacquelyn Faust (track & field), Lesley LeMasurier (skiing), Anna Lieb (cross country & track), Kelly Menachof (soccer), Devin Shanahan (football), Katie Smith (cross country & track), Katie Stege (skiing), Gleisy Torres Torres (tennis), Lydia Van Vleet (cross country & track) and Lucie Zikova (skiing).
Out of 325 student-athletes, 219 attained a 3.0 grade point either cumulatively or for the spring and/or fall semesters through 2008. That is an impressive percentage (67.4) when realized that CU's curriculum is one of the toughest in Division I athletics; several peer schools award grades and credit for things such as sport participation and weight-training, but that is not the case at Colorado.
Conrad Obi, a sophomore-to-be defensive end on the football team, and Troi Smith, a junior on the women's track team, won the Barb and Lane Earnest Most Improved Student-Athlete Awards (one presented to an underclassman, the other to a senior).
There were three recipients of the Buffalo Leadership and Initiative Awards, given to the freshman, sophomore and junior student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding initiative and demonstrates a strong commitment to service to the CU and Boulder communities. Those winners were Justin Drescher (junior, football), Ryan Miller (sophomore, football) and Brianne Beemer (freshman, cross country and track).
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The Student Support Services Academic Award was presented to Amy Docktor, a senior who has worked as a study hall supervisors as well as in the computer lab in the Dal Ward Athletic Center. This award is presented to a student worker who maintains a 3.0 grade point while demonstrating strong commitment and leadership to CU athletics.
Closing comments were made by Cantrell, as he delivered comments on behalf of all the graduating seniors. He took the time to remind his peers that they had three weeks left in college, and to take advantage of and appreciate the little things they've enjoyed during their time in Boulder, such as looking at the scenery, walking the campus studying the buildings and grabbing one more meal at The Sink.
