Record Number of Buckeyes Recognized at Scholar-Athlete Dinner – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
May 23, 2007
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Department of Athletics held the 40th-annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner Recognizing Academic Excellence Wednesday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to honor its student-athletes for their academic and athletic accomplishments. A record 462 OSU Scholar-Athletes were recognized at the event and a number of senior awards were given out.
The winners of the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor were men’s diver Kellen Harkness (Diving/Puyallup, Wash.) and Saskia Mueller (Zuerich, Switzerland) of the field hockey team. Each member institution in the conference gives the award annually to the male and female athletes in the graduating class who have attained the greatest proficiency in both academics and athletics. The Big Ten Conference office established the award in 1914 for men and an additional award for the top female was instituted in 1982. This honor includes a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Harkness, an operations management major, was the 2007 Big Ten Diver of the Year and won the 3-meter title at the conference championships. He is a three-time All-American and was the runner-up on the 3-meter and placed fourth on the 1-meter at the 2007 NCAA meet. A four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, he won CoSIDA Third Team All-America and CSCAA Academic All-America honors last year.
Mueller, who is majoring in geography with a specialization in urban and regional systems, is a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten choice. She was the 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year and is a three-time All-American, including a second-team selection in 2006. She was named to the NFHCA All-West Region first team three times (2004, ’05, ’06) and is a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, including a first-team spot in 2006.
The Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor male finalists were: Joe Doyle (Swimming/Centerburg, Ohio), Anthony Gonzalez (Football/Avon Lake, Ohio), Kellen Harkness (Diving/Puyallup, Wash.), Willie Ito (Gymnastics/Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Antonio Smith (Football/Columbus, Ohio). The female finalists were: Annabelle Fago (Rowing/Giessen, Germany), Gulsah Gunenc (Swimming/Edirne, Turkey), Marisa Main (Volleyball/Louisville, Ky.) and Jessica Stringer (Track/Williamsburg, Ind.).
Four student-athletes – Fago, Emily Francis (women’s soccer/Alliance, Ohio), Jacob Howell (baseball/Ashland, Ohio) and Smith – received the Corwin A. Fergus Memorial Award. Fergus scholars are male or female student-athletes who have excelled in athletics, achieved academically (3.00 GPA minimum), demonstrated positive qualities of character and citizenship and shown potential for success in a graduate or professional program. Established in 1967, the award is given in memory of Corwin A. Fergus, a member of the Ohio State football team (1912-14), a graduate of the Ohio State School of Law and later a successful businessman. The award reflects his strong commitment to the pursuit of academic and athletic excellence and his positive contributions to society. The $5,000 postgraduate scholarships, which each are renewable for up to three years, can be utilized for graduate study or professional programs at Ohio State.
Gunenc received the M/I Homes Foundation Award, which has been awarded annually since 1976. The award was one of the first designed specifically to recognize and promote women’s achievements in intercollegiate athletics at Ohio State. It provides an outstanding female scholar-athlete $5,000 for postgraduate studies at Ohio State. The award is based on demonstrated athletic and academic success as well as community contributions through involvement in civic or university organizations.
Rower Jessica Shepherd (Richmond, Ohio) received the Leann Grimes-Davidge Award which is a tribute to Grimes-Davidge’s contributions to athletics at Ohio State. The honor is given annually to a female athlete who reflects Grimes-Davidge’s outstanding qualities of athletic performance, scholarship, character, campus or community involvement and leadership. A member of the Ohio State women’s tennis team, Grimes-Davidge won four state and Big Ten titles. She graduated from OSU summa cum laude and received her master’s degree from Miami University where she served as the head women’s tennis coach.
Scott Hudepohl (Cincinnati, Ohio) of the track and field team received the A.K. and Judith A. Pierce Phoenix Award. The honor is given to a student-athlete who has excelled in academics, athletics, and personal growth attained through perseverance and hard work. The award is to be used to attend graduate or professional school at Ohio State, with preference given to someone who intends to enroll in the Fisher College of Business.
Wrestler Chris Vondruska (Bay Village, Ohio) received the Men’s Varsity O Scholarship. The award provides a male scholar-athlete with a one-time stipend of $4,000 for postgraduate studies at Ohio State. The ideal candidate maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher during undergraduate studies, earned a varsity letter and performed community service.
Varsity O team awards included the men’s diving team and the women’s cross country team for the top GPA. The diving team won the award for the third-consecutive year, while cross country received the honor for the second year in a row. The Most Improved Team GPAs were awarded to the men’s basketball and field hockey teams.
In addition, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Scholar-Athlete Recognition Dinner, special recognition awards were given to Jim Jones, Larry Romanoff and Dr. Kate Riffee.
