University of Oklahoma Athletics
Scholar-Athletes Honored
April 15, 2008 | Athletics
April 15, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department honored several athletes Tuesday morning at the 10th Annual Max Weitzenhoffer Scholar-Athlete Awards Breakfast. The event was held in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom at the Oklahoma Memorial Union.
OU President David L. Boren addressed the gathering and lauded Sooner athletes for their academic excellence, championship performances and service to the community.
Some 300 student-athletes, all of whom carry a B average or higher, were honored.
Five Sooners received the Athletics Director's Leadership Award from Joe Castiglione. Those five were Christina Baxley (tennis), Jacob Gutierrez (football), Jonathan Horton (men's gymnastics) Andrea Sellmeyer (women's golf) and Josh Weitzel (wrestling).
Gutierrez was honored in absentia as he already is continuing his studies in Chile.
The recipients of the Big 12 Conference Medal were Jessica Eldridge (track and field/cross country) and Horton. The Dan Gibbens Outstanding Scholar-Athletes were Amy Backel (women's track and field), Sam Bradford (football), Chase Bridgforth (men's track and field) and Sellmeyer.
The Athletics Council presents its achievement awards each year to those individual who have overcome unique challenges to excel academically and competitive. The recipients for that honor were Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons (men's gymnastics), Chip Heuser (men's track and field), Lauren Eckermann (softball) and Weitzel.
Eldridge and Abdullah-Simmons also were honored with the Prentice Gautt Award, established by the Oklahoma House of Representatives and awarded annually by OU's Black Student Union.
The Sooner Schooner Award for academic achievement on the football team went to Dane Zaslaw, while his coach, Bob Stoops, received the Athletics Council's Academic and Student Life Award for Coaches.
The Champs/Life Skills Team Competition winner was the baseball team. It won by accumulating the most points for attendance at life skills events, athletics competition, community service hours, student organization and cultural events, and for individual grade point averages. Softball finished second with women's basketball in third.
The Athletics Council Service Awards were presented to Backel, Elliott Blain (baseball), Phillip Bryan (men's golf), Jeannie Douglas (softball), Francie Ekwerekwu (volleyball), Gutierrez, Ally Kucera (soccer), Jake Messina (men's gymnastics), Sellmeyer, Kristin Smith (women's gymnastics) and Amanda Thompson (women's basketball).
The Jay Myers Award for academic excellence among freshmen went to Chad Colbert (baseball), Ana-Maria Constantinescu (women's tennis), Tiana Dickson (soccer), Chrissy Disarro (volleyball), Ellen Mueller (women's golf), Stephen Nijoka (wrestling), Danielle Robinson (women's basketball) and Kelly Waters (women's track and field/cross country).
The Most Inspiring Faculty Awards were presented to Dr. Geary Hobson (English), Maria Marchand (Spanish/Modern Languages) and Dr. Justin Wert (Political Science).
