May 3, 2010
WACO, Texas - Twenty-two Baylor University student-athletes and five of its athletic teams were honored for academic excellence and community service during the annual Student-Athlete banquet Monday evening in the Ferrell Center.
"Tonight's banquet is the conclusion of another excellent academic year in Baylor Athletics. Our student-athletes continue to prove that Baylor is dedicated to excellence in the classroom as well as the playing fields," said Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. "The accomplishments of our student-athletes are truly amazing. Academic excellence is our tradition in Baylor athletics and our student-athletes spend countless hours after games and practice to continue the tradition."
Each year, the University recognizes the student-athlete from each team that records the highest grade-point average. McCaw handed out academic achievement awards to the following Baylor student-athletes:
Josh Lomers -- Men's Basketball
Lindsay Palmer -- Women's Basketball
Caitlyn Trice --Volleyball
Tiffany Wesley -- Softball
Nick Florence * -- Football
Chris Slater * -- Baseball
Joakim Mikkelsen -- Men's Golf
Morgan Chambers -- Women's Golf
Dominik Mueller -- Men's Tennis
Taylor Ormond -- Women's Tennis
Bethany Johnston * -- Soccer
Diamond Richardson * -- Women's Track & Field
Cate Westenhover -- Women's Cross Country
Kim Woodsum -- Equestrian
Philip Raaf -- Men's Track & Field
Joseph Hawkins -- Men's Cross Country
Sarah Sturm - Trainer
In addition, special awards were presented to the male and female student-athletes with the highest grade-point average overall. Baseball's Chris Slater and football's Nick Florence posted the highest GPA of any Baylor male student-athlete; it was Slater's second straight year to be honored. Diamond Richardson of women's track and soccer's Bethany Johnston were the female recipients. All-four honorees maintain 4.0 GPAs.
The Big 12 Conference Senior Award, which recognizes a male and female senior athlete who has excelled in the classroom, on the field and in the community, was awarded to football's Pawalek and softball's Wesley. The President's Cup, which is awarded to the team that carries the highest cumulative grade-point average, was presented to the men's tennis team. The Baylor men's tennis team has a GPA of 3.41 and earned its first-ever President's Cup.
The Provost Award, which is given to teams for academic accomplishment, was given to Baylor's men's and women's tennis, softball and men's track teams. This award recognized teams that had set their highest cumulative grade point average in team history.
The NCAA Champs/Life Skills program is designed to encourage academic excellence and community outreach for student-athletes across the country. Student-athletes from all sports participate in a variety of community outreach programs throughout the academic year. Coach Ellen White's equestrian team was the winner of Baylor's 2009-10 Champs Cup for community service. It marked the first time the equestrian team had been recognized for its community service activities.
Indoor track student-athlete Jessica Ubanyionwu and women's basketball's Lindsay Palmer were presented with their Elite 88 plaques. The Elite 88, an award founded by the NCAA, honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships.
Women's tennis' Lenka Broosova and men's basketball's Tweety Carter were recipients of the the first-ever John Westbrook Student-Athlete Achievement Award which annually recognizes one male and female Baylor senior student-athlete who has overcome great personal, academic or emotional challenges to achieve academic success while making positive contributions to their respective teams. These young men and women have preserved throughout their college careers to ensure continued success after their Baylor playing careers are finished.
Westbrook was the first African-American to play football in the Southwest Conference. He enrolled at Baylor in 1965 as a walk-on running back, and despite racially motivated treatment from some teammates and coaches, went on to earn an athletic scholarship as well as varsity letters in 1967 and 1968 for coach John Bridgers' Bears. After graduating from Baylor with an English degree in May 1969, Westbrook went on to earn his master's degree in English from Southwest Missouri State University.
Westbrook worked briefly for the staff of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Kansas City, served as a consultant on interracial ministries for the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, and was employed by Florida State University as an academic adviser for student-athletes. He served as pastor at True Vine Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, and at the historic Antioch Baptist Church in Houston. In 1978, he ran for lieutenant governor of Texas and received 23 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, but lost to William Hobby. He also taught English part-time at Wylie College in Marshall, was a member of the Texas State Urban League Council, and served on the board of directors of the Association of Blacks in Higher Education. Westbrook died just one month after his 36th birthday in Houston on December 17, 1983, as a result of a blood clot in his lung.
Each year all student-athletes are asked to vote for the Baylor professor they believed had the greatest impact on their academic career. Twenty-one individuals received Outstanding Professor Awards during Monday's banquet: Randy Jacobs (sociology), Paul LaBounty (HHPRE), John Cunningham (communication studies), Steve Sadler (religion), Kevin Dougherty (sociology), Peaches Henry (English), Fred Hulme (information systems), Blair Browning (communication studies), Kathryn Mueller (sociology), Jess Kelly (forensic science), Jim Moshinskie (information systems), Mona Choucair (English), Marty Harvill (biology), Rosalind Baty (communication studies), Derek Dodson (religion), Randy Hall (physics), Larry Lehr (environmental sciences), Alton Hassell (chemistry), John Knue (information systems), David Smith (history) and Bethany Bear (English).
