April 24, 2001
WACO, Texas -
The Baylor All-Sports Banquet, co-sponsored by the Baylor "B" Association and the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.), was held Thursday night in the Ferrell Center.
While the "B" Association furnished the funds, the S.A.A.C. furnished the planners and workers. Phyllis Gamble, a member of the "B" Association Board of Directors, was the emcee, and Dr. Preston Gautt was the keynote speaker.
On behalf of the "B" Association, President Pinkie Palmer welcomed athletes, coaches, and guests to the banquet. He spoke to the athletes about the role of the association in providing assistance to the Athletic Department and in developing and continuing camaraderie among our members. He asked the athletes to be active in association affairs of the future. Palmer introduced the first student-athlete members of the Association's Board of Directors selected by the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
For the first time in several years, athletes were nominated to the national honor society, OMICRON DELTA KAPPA (ODK). This organization recognizes academic achievement, awards, and campus involvement and encourages leadership among students.
Essential qualifications for membership include: exemplary character,
responsible leadership, and service in camps life, superior scholarship, and genuine fellowship. The following student athletes were selected for membership this year: Ross Bennett (baseball), Nicole Collins (basketball), Melanie Hagewood (golf), Tim Hartshorn (baseball), Lanie Millar (track), Sunny Nicholas (volleyball), Kerry O'Bric (track), Ryan Stukel (softball) and Mark Williams (tennis).
Williams and softball's Naomi Fitzgerald were honored with their 2000 Verizon Academic All-American Awards. Over the years, 36 Baylor student-athletes have been selected for this award.
For serving unselfishly and volunteering their efforts and services in the community and expecting nothing in return, basketball's Wendell Greenleaf and softball's Katherine Chamblee were awarded the Big 12
Student-Athlete Community Outreach Award.
Four student-athletes were nominated for the NCAA Leadership Foundation
Award: Karin Andersson (tennis), Melanie Hagewood (golf), Tim
Hartshorn (baseball) and Steven Othoro (basketball). Hartshorn was
selected to represent Baylor and attend the NCAA Leadership Foundation
Conference this summer at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Hagewood is the alternate.
Football's Bobby Darnell is the Big 12's representative to the NCAA
Student-Athlete Advisory Board. He will be attending the NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando as well. Bobby is the president of Baylor's S.A.A.C. for 2001.
Don Riley, the Coordinator for Student Athlete Services, and Tom Stanton, Baylor's Athletic Director presented the awards for the highest grade point average for each sport and support personnel. Winners are as follows:
Baseball Tim Hartshorn
Men's Basketball Andre White
Women's Basketball Brittany Bruns
Football Jason Lichte
Men's Golf Worth Williams
Women's Golf Melanie Hagewood
Soccer Whitney Barrett
Softball Naomi Fitzgerald
Men's Tennis Mark Williams
Women's Tennis Monica Gonzalez-Gordo
Men's Cross Country Blair Mathews
Women's Cross Country Stephanie Bennett
Men's Indoor Track Barrett Hall
Women's Indoor Track Lanie Millar
Men's Outdoor Track Barrett Hall
Women's Outdoor Track Kerry O'Bric
Volleyball Sunny Nicholas
Managers/ Video Travis Webb
Strength Tanna Burge
Trainers George Kollar
The Baylor University Student-Athlete Award is presented to the graduating male and female senior with the highest grade point average. The winners for 2000-2001 are Jason Lichte (football) and Kerry O'Bric (track).
The men's tennis team, coached by Matt Knoll, was awarded for having the highest men's GPA, and the highest women's team GPA went to the women's golf team, coached by Sylvia Ferdon. These two teams also took this award at the All-Sports Banquet last year.
Dr. Preston Gautt, an academic all-American and an all-conference back for the University of Oklahoma during their 47-game winning streak,
made an inspiring speech about the relationship between God and his people.
