Oct. 21, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
The State Farm Student-Athlete Academic Excellence banquet was held at Redbird Arena on Sunday, Oct. 21. The night honored Redbird student-athletes for their academic achievements during the 2006-07 year. A school-record 254 ISU student-athletes were named to the AFNI Honor Roll last year, with 59 of them achieving a 4.0 grade point average, and all were recognized. Several special academic achievement wards were presented to student-athletes throughout the event as well.
Junior basketball player Mike Vandello was the recipient of the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Vandello was a member of the AFNI Honor Roll and the Dean's List both semesters last year with identical 4.0 GPAs. He appeared in 27 games during his sophomore season and recorded career-highs of eight points and eight rebounds against Sacramento State. The junior from Bettendorf, Iowa, has a 4.0 cumulative GPA in biological sciences.
The male scholar-athlete of the year award is named after Redbird basketball legend Doug Collins, who was an All-American in 1972 and went on to a successful playing, coaching and broadcasting career in the NBA. The other nominees for the Doug Collins Male Student-Athlete of the Year award were Luke Baughman (baseball), Luka Marinkovic (tennis) and Dan Simnick (football).
Former softball player Shannon Nicholson was the recipient of the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Nicholson achieved a 4.0 GPA in both semesters last year. She was the Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times, as well as being named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and the CoSIDA All-District V First Team. An Easton Second-Team All-American, Nicholson led the Redbirds in wins and ERA. The Chatham, Ill., native has a 3.68 cumulative GPA in business teacher education. She is currently finishing her degree as a student-teach this semester.
The female scholar-athlete of the year award is named after longtime Illinois State coach and administrator Dr. Linda Herman, who spent more than 30 years at ISU as a volleyball coach and administrator. The other nominees for the Linda Herman Female Student-Athlete of the Year award were Kristi Cirone (basketball), Tove Fjordholm (gymnastics), Jennifer Klicka (swimming & diving), Bethany Russ (soccer), Kari Staehlin (volleyball), Suzy Turner (cross country/track and field) and Devon Williams (track and field).
The Impact Award was presented to junior women's basketball player Ashley Sandstead. The award is given to a student-athlete who embodies a commitment to excellence and has a desire to make an impact on the lives of others with outstanding leadership skills, commitment to academics and service to the community.
The Phoenix Award was presented to senior swimmer Brittany Byrd. The award is given to an individual who has overcome academic challenges and has made consistent academic progress over their scholastic careers.
The Good Neighbor Award went to senior softball player Tiffany Prager. The award is presented to a student-athlete who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to excellence in academics, service to others and personal conduct. The individual also volunteers to assists fellow student-athletes in their endeavors to achieve their academic goals.
Former senior executive vice president of State Farm Insurance Companies Jack North served as the distinguished speaker and Dixie Axley, the vice president of learning and development for State Farm, was the master of ceremonies of the event.
