NEWARK, DE -- Harding Nana (at right), a two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association forward who ranked among the national leaders in both scoring and rebounding the last two seasons, was honored as the University's 2005-2006 Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year at the annual UD Men's Intercollegiate Athletics Awards luncheon Tuesday at the Bob Carpenter Center Lounge.

Nana, a 6-8, 230 lb. native of Douala, Cameroon, played high school basketball at the Newport (MD) School and attended Virginia Tech before playing three stellar seasons for the Blue Hens under former head coach David Henderson. A leadership major at Delaware, Nana becomes the first basketball player to earn the prestigious Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award since Mike Pegues in 1999-2000.

Nana was among several Blue Hen student-athletes who were honored at the luncheon for their performances on the playing field, in the classroom, and in the community, over the past season. The Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award is selected from a vote of the head coaches of Delaware's 11 men's intercollegiate sports.

The University of Delaware Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year will be honored on Wednesday night, May 17, at the annual UD Women's Awards Banquet at Clayton Hall.

A three-year starter and two-year captain, Nana was one of the league’s most feared players during the last three seasons and is hoping to earn a tryout with a National Basketball Association team this summer. He became just the fifth player in UD history to be named first team all-conference two straight seasons after leading the Blue Hens in scoring (19.0 points per game) and rebounding (10.9 rebounds per game) this past winter. He led the CAA in rebounding (ninth in NCAA Division I) and was second in scoring while also ranking fourth in the league in minutes played (35 minutes per game), fifth in blocked shots (1.27 per game), and 12th in three-point field goal pct. (.346).

He tied a school record with 40 career double-doubles and became just the fourth player in school history to reach 1,300 points and 700 rebounds in a career. He scored 20 or more points 31 times in his career with four games over 30 and pulled 10 or more rebounds 45 times with a high of 19 three times. Nana, who also led the CAA in both scoring (18.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.4 rpg/11th in NCAA Division) as a junior in 2004-05, participated in the Portsmouth (VA) Invitational for National Basketball Association hopefuls earlier this spring.

In addition to Nana, the following student-athletes were honored as the team's Outstanding Performer for each sport as voted by team members.

BASEBALL: Senior shortstop Todd Davison (Somers Point, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) was the winner of the Pape Lukk Award as the UD Alumni Association Team Most Valuable Player. A four-year starter, he has set new school records (through games of May 15) for career games played (218), consecutive games played (218), consecutive starts (218), at bats (901), and assists (635), and is second all-time in doubles (65), third in hits (275), and fifth in total bases (423). A co-captain, Davison is a career .305 hitter and this season is currently batting .367 with 11 home runs, 41 runs batted in, a team-high 24 doubles, and 13 stolen bases for a Blue Hen team that is ranked among the top offensive teams nationally in NCAA Division I.

BASKETBALL: Junior forward Harding Nana (Newport School, Kensington, MD/Douala, Cameroon) was the winner of the Col. C.B. Shaffer Award as the team's Most Valuable Player. See information above.

CROSS COUNTRY: Junior P.J. Meany (Salesianum/Hockessin, DE) earned the Alumni Association Cross Country Most Valuable Player Award for the second straight year. Meany was the top Blue Hen finisher in all seven races and has led the team in 13 of the last 14 races dating back to the 2004 season. He has captured five meet titles over the past two seasons, including capturing first place at both Delaware Invitationals and at the season-opening UNC Wilmington Seahawk Invitational in 2005. This past fall he also placed eighth at Colonial Athletic Association championships, was 12th at the NCAA regional meet, and 14th at the IC4A championships. He is a business major at Delaware.

FOOTBALL: Senior quarterback and co-captain Sonny Riccio (Lincoln/Ellwood City, PA) was named the UD Alumni Association Most Valuable Player for football. A two year starter after transferring from the University of Missouri, Riccio enjoyed a record setting career in leading the Blue Hens to a two-year mark of 15-9. He led the Blue Hens to a 6-5 record in 2005 as he threw for 1,869 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 413 yards and seven touchdowns. As a junior in 2004, he led Delaware to a 9-4 record, the Atlantic 10 Conference title, and a berth in the NCAA I-AA quarterfinals when he threw for 2,698 yards and 16 touchdowns. Among the school records he established were pass completions in a game (33) and season (259), and career yards passing per game (190.4). He is a sport management major at Delaware.

GOLF: Junior Joe McLister (Loudoun County/Leesburg, VA) was the winner of the John J. DeLuca/Scotty Duncan Alumni Association MVP Award for the third straight year. A two-year captain, McLister enjoyed a record-setting season as a junior in 2005-06 when he led the Blue Hens their best ever finish at the CAA championships. He was the team’s top finisher in 10 different tournaments during the season and took medalist honors at Delaware’s Scotty Duncan Memorial and at the Rutgers Invitational. He posted a 10th place finish at the CAA championships in April and earned a spot on the All-CAA first team, becoming the first UD player to earn that honor. He set school records for lowest stroke average in a season (72.85) and career (75.00), lowest 36-hole tournament score (136), and lowest 54-hold tournament score (206). He is a business major at Delaware.

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD: Junior middle distance runner Brad Dodson (Martinsburg/Martinsburg, WV) was the winner of the Alumni Association MVP Award for the second straight year. A third-year team member, Dodson established school indoor records in the 1,000 meters (2:26.41) and mile run (4:07.43) and earned All-East honors when he placed second in the mile at the IC4A championships in March. He also qualified for the IC4A meet in the 1,000 meters, 3,000 meters, and distance medley relay. He posted four top 10 finishes in the mile during the season, also placing second in the event at the New York University Fasttrack Invitational, third at the Maryland Indoor Invitational, and ninth at the Penn State Open. During the spring season, he placed second in the 1,500 meters and sixth in the 800 meters at the CAA championships and was 14th in the 1,500 meters at the IC4A meet. He is a civil engineering major at Delaware.

LACROSSE: Junior attackman Cam Howard (Tatnall/Wilmington, DE) earned the Alumni Association MVP Award. A three-year starter on attack, Howard led the Blue Hens to their second straight CAA Tournament runner-up finish in 2006 as he recorded team highs in assists (27), points (56), and shots on goal (106) and ranked second in goals (29). He scored three or more goals five times during the season and collected five or more points five times, including seven in a CAA semifinal win over Towson. He increased his point-scoring streak to 23 straight games dating back to the 2005 season and moved up to 13th place on the UD career points list with 128 points on 62 goals and 76 assists. He has earned All-CAA honors all three of his seasons, including first-team honors in both 2005 and 2006. He led Delaware to the 2005 CAA regular season title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He is a plant science major at Delaware.

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD: Junior Jared Wasser (Wootton/North Potomac, MD/Wootton) was the recipient of the Alumni Association Team MVP Award. A secondyear transfer from Robert Morris University, Wasser was a standout in the weight events for the Blue Hens, placing third in the shot put and 10th in the hammer throw at the CAA championships and earning All-East honors with a seventh place finish at the IC4A championships this past weekend. He won three outdoor meet shot put titles during the 2006 season and was sixth at the Penn Relays. He ranks No. 2 all-time at Delaware in the outdoor shot put (52-10) and No. 4 in the indoor shot put (53-0). He is a physical education major.

SOCCER: Junior defender Anthony Talarico (Bishop Eustace/Blackwood, NJ) was the Alumni Association MVP for men’s soccer. A three-year team member and two-year starter, he served as a tri-captain this past season. He led the Blue Hens in scoring with three goals for six assists and also helped the defense post four shutouts during the 2005 campaign. He is a mathematics major at Delaware.

SWIMMING & DIVING: Senior Levan Beridze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Princeton, NJ) earned the Jack and Hugh Dougherty Alumni Association Team MVP Award for the second straight year. A second-year transfer from Rutgers, he has recorded 12 career top 10 finishes at the CAA championships and led the Blue Hens to their best-ever CAA team finish in 2006 with an eighth place performance. At this year’s CAA championship meet, he placed fourth in the 400 freestyle relay, fifth in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, and 200 freestyle relay, eighth in both the 400 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay, and 10th in the 50 freestyle. He holds the school record in the 400 freestyle (3:06.73) and his top times in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 200 freestyle all rank in the top five all-time at Delaware. He is an international relations major with a minor in Russian.

TENNIS: Freshman Nolan Greenberg (Nicolet/Glendale, WI) won the Alexander J. Taylor Alumni Association MVP Award. In just his first collegiate season, he led all Delaware players in singles victories with a record of 13-7, including a mark of 5-5 at the No. 2 spot. He also recorded a doubles record of 12-8 with partners Philip Wayne (6-1) and Jesse Carl (6-7). He captured both the Flight C singles and Flight B doubles titles at the Swarthmore Invitational during the fall season. He is a hotel, restaurant, andinstitutional management major at Delaware.

Also honored at the luncheon were the following student-athletes and staff members.

• Earning Miles Powell Jr. Engineering/Athletics Scholarships were senior lacrosse midfielder Paul Rodriguez (St. Mark’s/Wilmington, DE), sophomore lacrosse goalkeeper Tommy Scherr (Mt. St. Joseph/Owings Mills, MD), men’s track and field junior distance runner Kyle Schmid (Towson/Lutherville, MD) men’s track and field sophomore jumper Brandon Swartout (Salesianum/Bear, DE) and men’s tennis junior Jonathan Edwards (Northern/Dunkirk, MD).

Schmid was a repeat selection. Rodriguez, a mechanical engineering major, and Scherr, a chemical engineering major, helped lead Delaware to a 12-5 record and the runner-up spot at the CAA Tournament. Rodriguez scored five goals from his midfield position while Scherr ranked among the league leaders with a .570 save percentage and 8.55 goals against average. Schmid, a civil engineering major, placed 16th in the distance medley relay at the IC4A championships during the indoor season and was eighth in the 5,000 meters at the outdoor CAA championships. Swartout, a civil engineering major, placed 10th in the outdoor long jump at the CAA championships. Edwards posted a 5-6 doubles record in 2003-04 but has not seen action the last two seasons. The awards are presented to letterwinners who are also top engineering majors.

• Edwards was also the winner of the Lee J. Hynick Award as the junior letterwinner on the UD men’s tennis team with the highest grade point index.

• Sophomore Adam Blomberg (Kamiakin/Kennewick, WA) earned the UD men’s swimming and diving Thomas Baranello Award for outstanding athletic and academic accomplishments. Blomberg, a CoSIDA Academic All-American nominee, is a physics major with a minor in business management. He placed fourth in the 400 freestyle relay, fifth in the 200 freestyle relay, and eighth in both the 800 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay at the 2006 CAA championships in February.

• Sophomore Adam Mullan (Brandywine/Wilmington, DE) was the winner of the Chuck Ganci as the men's swimming and diving team’s most improved athlete. Mullan competed in the freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, and individual medley events this season.

• Junior hurdler Chris Dixon (Hempfield/Lancaster, PA) received the David A. Sharp Academic Award for outstanding academic success with the UD men’s track and field teams. An honor student as a computer engineering major, Dixon captured the CAA 400 meter hurdles title this past April and has qualified for the NCAA East Regionals in the event.

• Junior pole vaulter Matt Guida (Roxbury/Succasunna, NJ) was the recipient of the D. Kenneth Steers Award, presented to a member of the UD track and field team with outstanding academic success. A three-year letterwinner, Guida is a finance major with a minor in economics. He placed ninth in the pole vault at the CAA Outdoor Track and Field championships in April.

• Men’s lacrosse senior Bob Meunier (Bishop O’Connell/Arlington, VA) was the winner of the Dr. Janice Jordan Award presented by UD Student Services for Athletes to a student-athlete who has made outstanding progress academically while at Delaware. A geography major, Meunier came back from a serious injury last season to play in 12 games and scored two goals for the CAA Tournament runners-up this spring. He serves as a peer mentor for Student Services for Athletes.

• Football senior deep snapper Brett Wharton (Middletown/Middletown, DE) received the Outstanding Contributor Award presented by the UD Student Services for Athletes department. A four-year letterwinner as the team’s deep snapper, Wharton was a member of two Atlantic 10 Conference championship teams and the 2003 NCAA I-AA national championship squad. A biology/pre-med major, Wharton was active as a peer mentor, with Student-Athletic Advisory Council, and was active in Hurricane Katrina Fund relief efforts on campus.

• Senior cross country and track and field distance runner Kevin DuPrey (Lampeter Strasburg/Strasburg, PA) was the recipient of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Medal of Merit presented to the senior male student-athlete letterwinner with the highest grade point index. A four-year letterwinner for the Blue Hens a 2005 team captain, and a member of the UD Athletics Governing Board, DuPrey carries a 3.88 grade point index as a biology major and will attend medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine this fall.

• Bill Wilson received the ECAC Appreciation Award presented by the UD athletics department for overall contributions to the program. Wilson (left) has been a part-time employee for the UD athletics department over the last five years working with the football equipment room, game operations, and ticket sales, and as an usher at the Bob Carpenter Center.