Wednesday, April 21, 2010
USI names top student athletes and Eagle Pride award winners
Jon Mark Hall, USI Athletic Director, with Sara Loete, Mary Ballinger, and Jamar Smith.
The Integra/USI Female Student Athlete of the Year for a second straight year, Ballinger was the 2009 NCAA Division II national champion in the steeplechase before starting this year by being named the GLVC Runner of the Year in cross country. She earned All-America honors in cross country with fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships and was named the GLVC Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year. This spring, Ballinger was named the GLVC Indoor Track Female Athlete of the Year and earned her eighth All-America award in track by placing eighth in the 1500 meters. The Chesterton, Indiana, native is a food and nutrition major with a concentration in nutrition and wellness. Previous winners of the award were Shannon Wells (2003, volleyball), Jenny Farmer (2004, cross country/track), Heather Cooksey (2005, cross country/track), Laura Ellerbusch (2006, volleyball), Allison Shafer (2007 cross country/track), and Kristin Eickholt (2008, softball). The Integra/USI Male Student Athlete of the Year, Smith was nothing short of dominant on the basketball court this year. The physical education major who earned the 2010 Division II Player of the Year from Basketball Times, was named All-American by Basketball Times, Division II Bulletin, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and Daktronics. In addition to the All-America awards, Smith was named NABC first team All-District and was selected to play in the NABC/NCAA Division II All-Star Game. He was honored by being named the Midwest Region Player of the Year and first team All-Region by Daktronics. The Peoria, Illinois, native averaged a team-high 21.6 points per game and set the USI single-game (10) and the single-season (108) marks for three-point field goals made. He also set the USI career record with 20.2 points per game in two years. Previous winners of the award were Duncan Bray (2003 and 2004, soccer), Matt Keener (2005, baseball), Chris Thompson (2006, men's basketball), Melvin Hall (2007, men's basketball), Paul Jellema (2008 men's cross country/track), and Shaun Larsen (2009, baseball). Lewis and Loete were named the male and female recipients the Integra/USI Screaming Eagles Spirit Award. The award winners are selected in a vote of the Athletic Department staff. Loete is one of the most dynamic personalities among all of the USI student athletes. She is the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and is a visible presence at all USI athletic events. On the softball field, Loete is one the top power hitters in the history of the softball program and ranks third all-time at USI with 18 career home runs. The native of Pekin, Illinois, is currently hitting .280 with 11 runs scored, 19 RBIs, and three home runs. |
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