Around Campus

Academic Awards Plentiful for Longhorn Student-Athletes

Each spring, all Texas student-athletes are recognized for their great academic achievements over the past academic year.

The UT Women’s Athletics Departments honors its student-athletes and coaches with an annual Athletics Awards Presentation. That banquet took place on April 29 in the Frank Erwin Center where over 600 guests were on hand as the Longhorn teams were saluted for their excellence in competition and achievements in the classroom. The UT Men’s Athletics Academic Awards Presentation took place April 21 at the Frank Erwin Center.

The Women’s Athletics Awards Presentation featured several “Awards of the Highest Honor” - the highest UT women’s athletics departmental honors. These recipients were led by All-America senior track and field/cross country standout Temeka Kincy, All-America senior volleyball setter Michelle Moriarty, All-America senior diver and U.S. Olympic Team hopeful Mary Yarrison . junior soccer star Stephanie Logterman and junior basketball standout Earnesia Williams.

Kincy (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North HS) received the Women’s Athletics highest honor – the V.F. “Doc” Neuhaus Award. Established in 1976 as the first endowed scholarship in women’s athletics, the Neuhaus Presidential Scholarship Award honors both athleticism and academics. A stellar scholar-athlete, Kincy is a three-time All-American, a six-time All-Big 12 performer, and a three-year Academic All-Big 12 First Team standout. She is UT’s top 800 meter runner and also is one of the Longhorns’ best cross country performers. At the 2008 NCAA indoor meet, Temeka earned All-America honors with UT’s 4x400 meter relay quartet. In the classroom, her achievements are even more impressive. Kincy holds a 3.6 GPA as a biology and pre-med major. Accepted to numerous medical schools, she will attend Indiana University Medical School on a full scholarship.

Moriarty (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS) received the Texas Exes Leadership Award as the 2008 female recipient. The Texas Exes Award goes to a male and female student-athlete annually who have displayed outstanding leadership and academic and athletic success. The winner of the award receives a Life Membership to the Texas Exes, funded by the President’s Leadership Award Endowment created by Frank Denius in 1985. (Track and field All-American Leo Manzano received the men’s award on April 21.)

Moriarty is a sport management major who carries a 3.7 GPA. As captain of the Longhorns volleyball squad, Moriarty’s leadership helped UT advance to the NCAA quarterfinals – the Elite Eight – the last two years. Michelle is Texas’ all-time assist leader with 5,819 assists.

Williams (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa HS) and Logterman (Austin, Texas/Westwood HS) were co-recipients of the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete Award, while Yarrison (Springfield, Va./Robert E. Lee HS) was acknowledged as the top senior student-athlete with the highest GPA as recipient of the Lorene Rogers Scholar-Athlete Award. All three – Williams, Logterman and Yarrison – also earned their respective team academic MVP awards.

Co-captain of the UT basketball team, Williams holds a 3.0 GPA as a youth and community studies major. She averaged 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and helped the 22-13 team to the Big 12 tournament semifinals and to the second round of the NCAA Championships. She also was named to the Big 12 Conference’s Good Works team this winter for her athletic and community service achievements.  

Logterman has played at the elite international level as a member of the USA National Soccer program for many years. An All-Central Region First Team pick this fall, she led Texas to the NCAA third round (final 16). In the classroom, Stephanie carries a 3.9 GPA as a humanities and liberal arts honors major. She was a 2007-08 National Soccer Coaches All-America Scholar-Athlete and was named to the ESPN the Magazine’s District’s All-Academic First Team and to the Big 12 Academic First Team as well.

One of the most decorated UT divers in recent history, Yarrison earned numerous All-America honors on the one and three meter boards and claimed Big 12 championships on both boards as well this year. In April, Mary won the three-meter synchronized diving event at the 2008 Speedo USA Diving Spring National Championships and also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 3-meter event. This year, Mary was an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Second Team selection. She carries a 3.8 GPA as a double major in English and government.

Highlighting the UT men’s academic awards were Manzano and basketball star D.J. Augustin.

Manzano (Marble Falls, Texas/Marble Falls HS) received the men’s Texas Exes Leadership Award. This award honor is presented annually to recognize a student-athlete who embodies the attributes that are valued in alumni leadership. Such attributes include academic excellence, unselfish team play, desire to excel, service to the community and respected leadership. Manzano, who is on pace to graduate this year with a double major in Spanish and Portuguese, won the NCAA individual title in the mile for the second straight year this indoor season.

Sophomore basketball standout D.J. Augustin (New Orleans, La/Brother Martin HS) claimed the Academic Excellence and Spirit Award. This honor is presented to a student-athlete who attains a combination of the highest levels of academics and athletics achievement. Augustin earned both consensus first-team All-America honors and first-team Academic All-America accolades. The winner of the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard, Augustin carries a 3.64 cumulative grade point average while majoring in education.

At the women’s awards dinner, 130 female athletes were recognized for attaining 3.0 grade-point averages (GPAs) and above. In addition, 24 others were singled out for achieving perfect 4.0 GPAs in the past calendar year (Spring of 2007 and Fall of 2007); and of those 24, five achieved 4.0 GPAs both semesters. An impressive 23 percent of the Texas female student-athletes carry a GPA of 3.5 or higher, with 61 percent of UT’s female athletes attaining a 3.0 or higher GPA over the last academic year.

At the men’s awards, a total of 162 male student-athletes and 36 student support staffers were recognized for achieving at least a 3.0 grade point average during the 2007 calendar year.