Brian Robiskie Is Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 29, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio OhioState wide receiver Brian Robiskie is one of three male finalists for the 2008 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year award, announced today by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine. He finished as second runner-up for the male Sports Scholar of the Year award, the first time an OhioState student-athlete has been a finalist since the national awards program began 15 years ago.
A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in 2007 for the Big Ten champions, Robiskie led the Buckeyes in receiving with 55 catches for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns. A first team Academic All-American, the junior from Cleveland holds a 3.44 grade-point average in marketing.
“I appreciate all the honors and recognition I have received as a part of OhioState, but this one is different because it encompasses so much,” Robiskie, who runs Friday in the 4×100 relay at the NCAA Mideast outdoor track regionals at Arkansas, said.
“Just the fact that it stands for Arthur Ashe and his values says a lot about the award. They are not simply looking for the best athlete, but a person who does well in the classroom and reaches back into the community, a real student-athlete. It’s definitely a tremendous honor.”
Diverse: Issues In Higher Educationestablished the Sports Scholars Awards in 1992 to honor the legendary Arthur Ashe Jr. and his commitment to social justice, education and sports. Each year, the nation’s colleges and universities nominate their outstanding minority student-athletes and the winning top male and female student-athletes are profiled in a special issue.
“Brian represents the football program and OhioState at the top level in the classroom, on the field and in outreach. This is just another acknowledgement of an outstanding young man from a wonderful family,” Coach Jim Tressel said. “It is an exceptional honor to be recognized for the same attributes that distinguished Arthur Ashe. I know the Robiskie family and Brian’s teammates will be extremely proud of him.”
The male winner from more than 500 nominees nationwide was Hampton football senior Marcus Dixon. First runner-up was Cliff Hammonds, a senior basketball and track performer from Clemson. China-born tennis standout Momei Qu of Illinois was the female winner. Other female finalists were Sarah-Jo Lawrence (basketball, George Washington) and Jessica Young (soccer, UMBC).
