Feb. 12, 2001
Baylor's track and field team claimed three wins when the winners of the first annual Golden Bear Awards were announced Monday night before the Baylor-Kansas men's basketball game.
The awards were voted upon from Feb. 2-11 on the offical Baylor athletic website at GoBaylorBears.com. The Golden Bear Awards featured seven categories: Game of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Courage Award, Play of the Year, Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year.
Track and field was the only sport to claim more than one award winner. The Baylor 4x400 m relay team's win at the 2000 NCAA outdoor championship was voted Play of the Year, senior Brandon Couts was named Male Athlete of the Year, and Kerry O'Bric was named Comeback Player of the Year.
In 2000, Couts became Baylor's fourth individual national champion in men's indoor track, winning the 400m with a time of 45.79 seconds. He also ran the anchor leg for Baylor's national champion 4x400 meter relay team. An eight-time all-American, Couts claimed Big 12 titles in the indoor 400 and the outdoor 200. He was named Trackwire National Male Athlete of the Week (April 4) after running the nation's first automatic qualifying 400 m time of the outdoor season.
O'Bric redshirted one season while overcoming mononucleosis. In 2000, she returned to place sixth in the National Championship Heptathalon with a score of 3,865 and was selected as an all-American. O'Bric established a school record of 5,428 points in the heptathalon at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, finishing third. At the NCAA Championships, she defeated every other competitor from the Big 12.
Volleyball's Stevie Nicholas took Female Athlete of the Year honors. Nicholas, the AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year, set school records for kills per game in a season, kills in a conference season, consecutive double-digit kill matches to begin a career, consecutive 20-kill and 30-kill matches and most 20-30 kill matches in a season. She also earned a first team all-Big 12 selection and was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Nicholas ranked sixth nationally and first in the Big 12 with 5.68 kills per game and was ninth in the Big 12 in digs. Her total kills were the third-best single season mark in school history.
Kyle Evans' no-hitter earned him and the baseball team Game of the Year honors. Evans beat Iowa State 4-0 as he threw the first complete game no-hitter for the Bears since 1979.
Sophomore Zoltan Papp was voted Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. Papp was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Region VI Rookie of the Year in 2000 after joining the team in January. He was the Big 12 No. 4 Singles Champion, thanks to a perfect 8-0 conference record, and also won the No. 3 Doubles Champion title with Johannes Michalsky. Papp earned all-conference singles honors and was one of four Bears to notch 20 wins in 2000. A 7-1 record against ranked opponents helped him finished the season ranked No. 62 in the nation.
In a runaway vote, David Sullivan, a walk-on to the football team, won the Courage Award. Sullivan suffered a potential career-ending injury this past spring during drills when he dislocated his knee and severed a nerve in his leg. The nerve injury affected the function of his foot and has required surgery for the repair of the damaged nerve. Following surgery, his leg became infected, and he required additional hospitalization. Treatment for the infection is ongoing as is his rehabiliation. Through it all, Sullivan has maintained a great attitude and work ethic, coming in each day to work on regaining the strength in his leg.
Thanks to all the fans who voted for their favorite athletes.
