Nine Student Athletes Honored at Spring Athletic Banquet

St. Louis, Mo., April 28, 2008 –Nine Washington University student-athletes were named the top performers in their respective classes for the 2007-08 school year at the 22nd Annual athletic department’s student-athlete banquet, as announced by the WU Athletics Department.

In addition to the W Club Distinguished Senior Awards and the Lucy and Stanley Lopata Rookie Awards, the Carl and Alice Briggson Sophomore Awards, and the Art and Marge McWilliams and the Stanley and Ann Rose Junior Awards were presented.

Established in 1989-90 by the school’s athletic support group, the W Club Distinguished Senior Athlete of the Year Award is bestowed annually to a male and female athlete for his and her contributions to the athletic program at Washington University. Track and Field’s Morgen Leonard-Fleckman and swimming’s Meredith Nordbrock received the honor on the women’s side, while men’s basketball’s Troy Ruths was named the men’s winner.

Leonard-Fleckman’s four years as a pole-vaulter at Washington University will serve as a benchmark for years to come. Heading into her senior campaign, she had already won four University Athletic Association (UAA) titles and twice garnered All-America honors. Leonard-Fleckman added to that lofty resumé by winning the 2008 NCAA Division III indoor pole vault national championship with a school-record height of 3.86 meters. For her outstanding performance, she was named the NCAA Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet. Leonard-Fleckman’s individual national championship was just the fifth in Washington U. history, the first since 1999, and it helped the WU women’s team place third overall at the meet, the best finish in school history. She also won the pole vault at the 2008 UAA indoor championship and has provisionally qualified for the 2008 NCAA outdoor championships with a school-record breaking height of 3.75 meters, where she will aim for her second national title.

Nordbrock ends her four years on the Danforth Campus as the most decorated swimmer in school history, garnering a Washington University record 28 All-America citations over her career. She posted a team-best seven All-America citations at the 2008 NCAA Championship, the fourth-straight year she accomplished the feat. Nordbrock received All-America honors in the 200-yard IM (third), 400-yard IM (fourth), 800-free relay (fourth), 200-medley relay (fifth), 400-medley relay (fifth), 200-yard backstroke (fifth) and 400-free relay (ninth). Nordbrock also won three titles at the 2008 UAA Championships, winning the 200-yard IM, the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-medley relay. She set four school records in 2008, in the 200-yard backstroke, the 200-yard IM, the 400-yard IM and the 400-free relay. Nordbrock also holds the school record in the 100-yard backstroke, and was a member of four other WU record-breaking relay teams, the 200-free relay, the 800-free relay, the 200-medley relay and the 400-medley relay. She is a three-time Academic All-UAA and CSCAA All-Academic honoree.

Ruths capped an illustrious four-year career on the Danforth Campus by winning the prestigious Jostens Trophy and guiding Washington University to the 2008 NCAA Division III National Championship. Ruths, the D3hoops.com and DIII News Division III National Player of the Year, averaged 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Bears in 2007-08. Ruths, who ranks second on the all-time scoring list with 1,801 points, averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest for his career. He ends his four-year stint at Washington U. ranked first in career games played (109), second in field goals made (672) and free-throws made (457), third in rebounds (709) and fifth in blocks (137). Ruths was a three-time all-UAA, three-time all-Region and two-time All-America honoree. In addition, he was a three-time Academic all-UAA, Academic all-District and Academic All-America selection. Ruths was honored as the 2007 and 2008 ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America of the Year.

Awarded for the ninth year, the Art and Marge McWilliams Junior Award was presented to volleyball’s Nikki Morrison, while the Stanley and Ann Rosen Junior Award was presented to men’s basketball’s Tyler Nading.

Morrison, a right side attacker, helped lead Washington University to a 33-5 overall record and the 2007 NCAA Division III National Championship. A first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America, All-Midwest Region and all-UAA selection, Morrison finished the year leading the Bears in kills (455) and kills per game (3.64), while ranking second in attack percentage (.339) and third in total blocks (95). She tied her career-high with 22 kills against Carnegie Mellon University on Sept. 29.

Nading concluded his third season on the Danforth Campus by being named honorable mention All-America by DIII News and helping guide Washington University to the 2008 NCAA Division III National Championship. Nading, a first-team all-UAA selection, averaged 14.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and a UAA-best 2.2 steals per game for the Bears. He scored a career-high 31 points in a 87-76 win against UW-Platteville on Nov. 25, and then notched his 1,000th-career point in a 78-71 win at Emory on Feb. 17, becoming the 17th player in school history to achieve the feat. A four-time UAA Athlete of the Week honoree, Nading was named to the NCAA Sectional All-Tournament Team and was an Academic all-UAA and ESPN The Magazine All-District selection.

Also being awarded for the ninth year, the Carl and Alice Briggson Awards are presented to the top sophomore male and female student-athletes, respectively, for their achievements through the first half of their collegiate careers. Women’s soccer’s Caryn Rosoff and men’s tennis’ John Watts earned the awards.

Rosoff was named the 2007 UAA Player of the Year, and earned second-team NSCAA All-America honors. She helped guide the Bears to a 17-4 overall mark, tying the school record for wins, a UAA Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sectional. Rosoff led WU with 10 goals and eight assists for 28 points. She scored the game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory over the University of Rochester on Oct. 26, moving the Bears into first place in the UAA standings for good. A first-team all-UAA and all-Midwest Region selection in 2007, Rosoff led the UAA in points and was second in goals scored. She is the sixth All-America selection in school history.                 

Watts captured Washington University’s first-ever men’s tennis national championship when he won the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) title in the fall. Watts, the top ranked player in Division III, is 25-4 in singles and 21-6 in doubles for a combined 46-10 overall record. A five-time UAA Athlete of the Week honoree, he also won the ITA Central Region Singles Championship for the second-straight year in October. For his career, Watts is 57-9 in singles and 42-12 in doubles for a combined 99-21 record.

Named in honor of two dedicated supporters of Washington University, the Lopata Rookie of the Year Awards were inaugurated in 1997 and are presented annually to one male and one female freshman athlete. Cross country and track and field swept this year’s honors, as Taryn Surtees was named the women’s winner and Ben Harmon was the men’s recipient.

Surtees stepped in to make an immediate impact on both the women’s cross country and track and field teams during her first year on the Danforth Campus. The UAA women’s cross country Rookie of the Year, Surtees helped the Bears grab their ninth UAA title, third-straight NCAA Division III Midwest Region crown and finish third at the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships. Her success carried over to the indoor track season, as she helped the Washington University women to a third-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, participating as a member of the Bears’ fourth place distance medley relay team. Surtees was also an indoor all-UAA honoree with a third-place finish in the mile run and grabbed outdoor all-UAA honors by coming in third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Harmon has already proven to be a valuable asset for the Washington University men’s track and field team, as he was named the UAA indoor Rookie of the Year and Most Outstanding Performer in the field events. He was a four-time all-UAA honoree at the indoor conference meet, winning the high jump and the long jump, placing second in the 4x400-meter relay and coming in third in the pole vault. At the UAA outdoor championships, Harmon won the long jump, while garnering all-UAA recognition in the 4x400-meter relay (second) and the high jump (3rd). He is also a three-time UAA Athlete of the Week honoree (Feb. 4, Feb. 11 and March 31) and has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the decathlon.