Ohio State Athletics: Buckeyes Recognized at Scholar-Athlete Dinner – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Jenna Griffin and Daniel Mathews receive Big Ten Medal of Honor, 475 named Scholar-Athletes
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Department of Athletics held the 41st-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 475 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 Jenna Griffin from the track team and men’s volleyball player Daniel Mathews. 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.
Griffin, a native of Somerset, N.J., earned her marketing degree in June 2007 and will graduate in August 2008 with a degree in strategic communications. She has earned Academic All-America honors, along with Academic All-Big Ten and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete accolades. She is a four-time Big Ten Champion, winning the 60-meter title in 2005 and 2007, the 100-meter crown in 2005 and the 4×100 meter relay in 2008. Griffin earned All-America honors in the 400-meters in the 2007 indoor season.
“Jenna is one of the most gifted women I have ever had the pleasure in recruiting and coaching,” women’s track and field coach Karen Dennis said. “When she first came to Ohio State I didn’t know how very special she would become. I just knew she had strong academic and athletic credentials which made her one of our top prospects. Jenna is so successful because she doesn’t waste any of her time. She is obviously intellectually gifted, but I think her strongest asset is her ability to balance multiple responsibilities. She knows how to focus on the activity at hand, complete tasks and keep moving to the next project — either in school, on the track or in the community. Knowing how to avoid distractions is not easy for many college students. Jenna will be a huge success when she enters the professional arena because she has prepared herself magnificently here at Ohio State. She has been a joy to all of us associated with her and I can’t express how proud I am of her achievements or how grateful I am for her impact on our track and field program.”
Mathews, a history major from Shorewood, Wis., is a two-time Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Player of the Year (2007, ’08) and first team All-American. A three-time First Team All-MIVA choice, he was the conference’s freshman of the year in 2005. Matthews was the most valuable player of the MIVA tournament in both 2005 and 2008, as he led the Buckeyes to the NCAA semifinals. He is a three-time MIVA all-academic and Academic All-Big Ten choice and also is a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete.
“I am extremely proud of Daniel for his achievement’s on and off the court.” men’s volleyball head coach Pete Hanson said. “He has been a great ambassador for our men’s volleyball program and I am sure he will be another great role model for Big Ten Medal of Honor winners. It has been a pleasure having him in our program.”
The Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor male finalists were: J.D. Bergman (wrestling/Oak Harbor, Ohio), Dan DeLucia (baseball/Columbus, Ohio), Lenny Jatsek (track and field/Walton Hills, Ohio) and Jimmy Wickham (gymnastics/Gulfport, Miss.). The female finalists were: Siobhan Byrne (fencing/Eislingen, Germany), Lara Dickenmann (soccer/Kriens, Switzerland), Danielle Meyer (volleyball/Maineville, Ohio) and Theresa Meyer (pistol/Dearborn, Mich.).
Four student-athletes Brett Daly (football/Elyria, Ohio), John Dingle (men’s hockey/Shaker Heights, Ohio), Lauren Diefenderfer (pistol/Bare, Del.) and Jackie Ruetenik (rowing/Vermilion, Ohio) – 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.
Swimmer Annie Rennebohm (Worthington, 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.
Byrne 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.
Alex Picazo (Columbus, Ohio) of the wrestling team was the recipient of 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.
Wrestler Nickolai Timbs (Douglasville, Ga.) 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.
Women’s tennis and men’s diving were given Varsity “O” awards for the highest team grade-point average, with the diving team winning for the fourth-consecutive year. The Most Improved Team GPA honors were earned by the women’s diving and men’s golf squads.
A complete list of the 2008 Ohio State Scholar-Athletes is above
