Athletes recognized for off-field pursuits

More than 180 athletes were honored with 243 awards Monday night at the 10th annual Academic Achievement Awards Banquet in the Auxiliary Gymnasium at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Sponsored by the Academic Support Center for Student Athletes, the Student Athlete Advisory Board and the Nittany Lion Club, this event honored outstanding academic student-athlete performances during the 1995-96 school year.

While Penn State generally is recognized as a powerhouse in a number of varsity sports, many University athletes Monday night received credit for their success in the classroom.

The 1995-96 Big Ten Academic All-Conference team clearly reflects this success. Penn State had 166 honorees, the most in the Big Ten.

To be eligible for this team, athletes must be letter winners in at least their second year of enrollment with a minimum 3.0 grade point average.

There were also 26 athletes initiated into the Spiritus Leoninus (Spirit of the Lion) Spring Class of 1997 for outstanding performance in athletics and academics.

Women's volleyball player Tomuke Ebuwei won the Community Outreach Award along with being inducted into the Spiritus Leoninus club. Though very humble in her acceptance, Ebuwei said it feels good to be recognized.

"A lot of times you do things to help people, and you don't really think about it at the time," said Ebuwei, a junior. It's nice to receive recognition for it every now and then."

Jeff Feinblatt of the men's fencing team and the entire women's swimming team were also recipients of the Community Outreach Awards.

The Nittany Lion True Grit Awards were given to athletes for success despite facing serious adversity. Lady Lion basketball player Angie Potthoff and gymnast Roy Malka were this year's recipients.

The award for highest team GPA went to the women's swimming and diving team. The men's wrestling team received the greatest improvement award for the academic strides it made during the past three seasons.

The women's softball team received a special award for consistent academic excellence over the past decade. The excellence continued this past fall, when 78 percent of the team's players earned a 3.0 GPA or better, and 56.5 percent of them made dean's list.

Diana Kenepp, director of ASCSA, said this is an exciting event because it gives something back to the student-athletes for their hard work. The ASCSA, started in 1987, provides academic support services for student-athletes to enhance their performances in the classroom and help them graduate.

The ASCSA also works very closely with SAAB to explore issues for student-athletes and to discuss issues they feel need to be discussed, Kenepp added.

SAAB president and wrestler Kerry McCoy said these are very important organizations because they give student-athletes the opportunity to take part in the decision making process.

"If the administration made decisions without input from the athletes then we would be at a huge disadvantage," said McCoy, who recently captured the 1997 NCAA heavyweight title.

Ebuwei also emphasized the importance of SAAB, saying the organization has been very successful in getting athletes involved not only with other athletes but also with the entire university as well.

"It helps me be a role model for other student-athletes," she said. "It gives me the opportunity to inspire my teammates and other athletes to work harder both academically and athletically."

This is the fourth year the Nittany Lion Club has been involved with the awards banquet. Members of the club offer grants-in-aid support to the more than 500 student-athletes who compete on Penn State's 29 varsity sport teams.