May 1, 2003

Chicago, Ill. - In a world of professional contracts at age 18, coaching carousels and illegal supplements, the class and reality of college athletics took center stage on Tuesday night, as the UIC Athletic Department honored deserving student-athletes, teams and trainers for outstanding achievement in the classroom and in the community.

The Academic Team of the Year was awarded to the men's tennis team coached by Hans Neufeld.

The Female Student-Athlete of the Year was Gina Caneva and the Male Student-Athletes of the Year were Neil Ahluwalia, Nick Bodmer and Ken Howrey, all hailing from the men's tennis squad.

The Horizon League also handed out awards at the banquet, recognizing the male and female teams with the highest GPAs. The two teams were the men's tennis team and the women's volleyball squad. The league also awarded the men's basketball team coached by Jimmy Collins the community service award for the university.

Listed below are Tuesday night's winners:

HIGHEST TEAM GPA

Baseball - Weber Bowen

Men's Basektball - Jonathan Schneiderman

Women's Basketball - Tiamber Derrick

Men's Cross Country - Danny Smith

Women's Cross Country - Jessica Streit

Men's Gymnastics - Michael Borge

Women's Gymnastics - Atlin Mitchell

Soccer - Bruno Rasich

Softball - Cameron Astiazaran

Men's Swimming and Diving - Joe Scharnak

Women's Swimming and Diving - Stephanie Donovan

Men's Tennis - Neil Ahluwalia, Nick Bodmer, Ken Howrey

Women's Tennis - Zorica Malesevic

Men's Track and Field - Joe Kepinski

Women's Track and Field - Sara O'Mara

Volleyball - Gina Caneva

SCHOLARSHIPS

Dr. Robert Hamilton Scholarship - Jacob DePew, Bruno Acanfora, Noreen Karadsheh

Thomas Beckham Scholarship - Amy Peters, Peter Kelley

Colvin Communication Scholarship - Chris Kerpan, Nelson Gord

Don Nash Scholarship - Consuela Hall

Aileen S. Andrew Scholarship - Amy Peters, Joshua Taylor

Port Academic Center Scholarship - Jamie Grabowski