Tulane Holds 2010-11 Student-Athlete Awards Banquet
Apr 28, 2011 | General
April 27, 2011
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University athletics department honored its 2010-11 student-athletes at its annual athletics banquet at the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life on Tuesday night.
The athletics banquet was a joint effort with the Tulane athletics staff and the department's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), which is composed of 28 current Green Wave student-athletes.
Each of Tulane's 14 sports gave out team awards and discussed their respective seasons, and TU's 2010-11 senior class was also honored for their contributions both on and off the playing field during their careers as a Green Wave student-athlete.
Tulane also presented specialty awards, including the Tulane Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year and the Tulane Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year.
The Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year is awarded to the male and female student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average after at least three semesters at Tulane University, while the Male and Female Student-Athlete award was based on performance.
This year's recipient for Female Scholar Athlete of the Year was senior volleyball athlete, Lindsey Shepard. A bio medical engineering major from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Shepard owns a current GPA of 3.868. She was a member of the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and Tulane's 3.0 Club last year and was named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team for Volleyball, making her the first three-time recipient in program history.
A Conference USA Academic medalist, Shepard started all 32 matches last season and played all 113 sets. She set a career-high with 229 kills and led the team with 88 total blocks, ten solo blocks and 78 blocking assists. She ranked among the Conference USA leaders in blocks and blocks per set.
This year's recipient for Male Scholar Athlete of the Year was junior cross country and track runner Mike Mainguy. A neuroscience major from Brookline, Massachusetts, Mainguy owns a current GPA of 3.924.
Mainguy was a member of the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and Tulane's 3.0 Club last year. He was named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team for Cross Country for the second straight season. He was the team's top finisher at the LSU Cross Country Invitational in the fall and set a new personal best in the 8-K. He also holds the team's top time in the 3000 and 5000-meter races this season.
This year's female athlete of the year was senior communications major from Arlington, Texas, Danielle Nunn, a member of the Green Wave women's basketball team.
Nunn earned Second team All-Conference USA and first team All-Louisiana after leading the Green Wave in points per game, field goal percentage and free throws made. Despite missing the first eight games of the year with a broken finger, she scored double figures in 23 games and posted 20-or-more points five times, including a career-high 37 at Oral Roberts on March 21. Nunn was also named to the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic All-Tournament Team and earned a spot on the C-USA Women's Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team.
This year's Male Athlete of the Year was sophomore basketball player Kendall Timmons, a sociology major from Ft. Worth, Texas.
Timmons was named second-team All-C-USA and second-team All-District by the NABC and earned Conference USA and LSWA Player of the Week honors in January. He also was named the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Area Amateur Athlete of the Month for December and collected nine double doubles during the season. Timmons scored in double figures in 28 of the 30 games and pulled down double figures in rebounds 10 times. He led Tulane in points, rebounds and steals and had the second most assists and third most blocks.
Each team also handed award individual honors during the event.
Men's basketball named the entire team as its most improved player, while Kris Richard was honored for his career contribution to the program.
Women's basketball handed Nunn the Most Outstanding Player, while Olivia Grayson was given the Spirit Award.
Volleyball awarded Mel Mandelbaum as its Most Valuable Player and Shepard as its' Leadership Award.
Cross country named Rebecca Coady as the Female Athlete of the Year and Max Miller as the Male Athlete of the Year.
Women's track and field named Kasey Rodgers as the Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, Raquelle Collins as the Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, Jamie Riles as the 2010 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, Ana Ruzevic as the 2010 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and Tiffany George as the Indoor Freshman of the Year.
Men's track and field awarded Garrett Myer as the Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and Brian Lozes as the Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Football handed Andrew Nierman the Most Valuable Player on Offense honor, Phillip Davis the Most Valuable Player on Defense and John Edwards the Most Valuable Player on Special Teams honor.
Women's tennis awarded Emma Levy the Never Give Up honor and Hila Elster as the Most Improved.
Women's golf awarded Maribel Lopez Porras the Most Valuable Player and Ashley McKenney the Bower Award.
Swimming and diving named AKayla Alf-Huynh the Most Outstanding Athlete and Erin Cunningham the Most Improved.
Men's tennis awarded Joe Young the Most Improved Player and Idan Mark the Most Valuable Player honors.
Baseball awarded the Lebreton Award to Alex Byo.
Players Mentioned
