University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 32, May 22
                                   
            Student athletes win recognition for excellence
     
     A number of student athletes were honored for
excellence during the past year in both the classroom and on
the playing field.
     
                            Outstanding men
     Basketball co-captain Greg Smith was named UD Alumni
Association Outstanding Senior Male Athlete May 13 at the
Men's Intercollegiate Athletics Luncheon. He was selected by
a vote of the head coaches of UD's men's intercollegiate
athletics teams.
     A two-time, all-conference player, Smith holds 11
school records with 1,713 career points, 660 points in a
season, 439 free throws in a career, 48 consecutive games
scoring in double figures, and a .609 career field goal
percentage.
     Smith was on the All-America East first team in 1996
and 1997 and was runner-up for America East player of the
year.
     Others receiving awards as most valuable athletes for
their teams were Dan Colunio, basketball; Brian Rubin, cross
country; Geof Gardner, football; Mike Ladden, golf; Mike
Chadwick, indoor track and field; Brian Cooper, lacrosse;
Nick McIntosh, outdoor track and field; Dan Schultz, soccer;
Tom Maday, swimming; and Zach Schmidt, tennis.
     In addition, soccer tri-captain Darin Triolo received
the East Coast Athletic Conference Medal of Merit Award as
the senior male student-athlete with the highest grade point
average.
     
                           Outstanding women
     Swimmer Nancy Davis was named UD Alumni Association
Outstanding Senior Female Athlete May 14 at the Women's
Intercollegiate Awards Banquet. She was selected by a vote
of the head coaches of Delaware's 11 intercollegiate sports.
     A co-captain in 1996-97, Davis was named team most
valuable player three times, leading the Blue Hens to back-
to-back conference titles in 1996 and 1997.
     She set more school records than any other swimmer in
UD history-setting marks in the 50 freestyle (24.36), 100
freestyle (52.78), 200 freestyle (1:52.94), 500 freestyle
(5:00.36), 1,000 freestyle (10:25.10), 1,650 freestyle
(17:09.99), 400 medley relay (4:01.93) and 800 freestyle
relay (7:49.31).
     She also won five conference individual titles and five
All-East honors.
     An honor student in elementary education, Davis has
been a College Sports Information Directors of America
(CoSIDA) Academic All-American and a member of the America
East academic honor roll.
     Others honored as most valuable athletes for their
teams were Shanda Piggott, basketball; Sarah Cowles, cross
country; Tara Pointin, indoor track and field and outdoor
track and field; Melissa Hefner, field hockey; Melissa
Kennedy, lacrosse; Beth Hatt, soccer; Lauren Baugher,
softball; Rebecca Fearins, tennis; and Karen Kunselman,
volleyball.
     Women's basketball co-captain Suzi Egeli received the
East Coast Athletic Conference Medal of Merit Award as the
senior female student athlete with the highest grade point
average.
     
                            Lacrosse honors
     Five UD women lacrosse players were named to the BRINE/
Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association
Division I Mid-Atlantic Region All-American Team.
     Melissa Hefner, America East player of the year; Liza
Shoemaker, most outstanding player in the America East
tournament; Kirsten McEntee and Carey Sebastian all earned
first-team honors. Melissa Kennedy, team most valuable
player, was named to the second team for the second year.
     The Blue Hens won the 1997 America East Championship,
the first time they have won a conference title since 1987.
     
                              GTE awards
     Alison Rose and Krysta Pidstawski were named to the GTE
District 2 All-Academic Softball Team, which recognizes
athletic and scholarly accomplishment. The two helped the
Blue Hens to a second seed in the 1997 America East
tournament and have maintained high grade point averages.
     
                            Going to Disney
     Juniors Shanda Piggott, a member of the women's
basketball team, and Liza Shoemaker, a member of the women's
lacrosse team, have been selected to participate in the 1997
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Foundation
Leadership Conference, May 27-30, at Disney's Wide World of
Sports complex in Florida.
     They will be among 276 collegiate student athletes from
across the country chosen for the conference. A part of the
NCAA's CHAMPS/Life Skills program, the conference will
provide a forum for student athletes to discuss and explore
solutions to critical issues facing student athletes today.
     Piggott led this season's women's basketball team in
scoring (15.4 points per game) and rebounding (10 per game).
She set school records for free throws made and attempted in
a season and career-the first player in UD history to score
30 or more points in consecutive games. She was named a
second team All-America East all star this past season.
     Shoemaker earned All-America East first team honors and
was named most valuable player of the conference tournament.
She led the Blue Hens to their first conference title since
1987 and was the team's fifth leading scorer with 21 goals
and seven assists.