July 19, 2007
NORMAL, Ill -
Being a transfer from another university and joining a team that you just met can be intimidating, but Tiffany Hockensmith seemed to fit right in with the Illinois State women's golf team. Because of Hockensmith's academic and athletic success, Illinois State head golf coach Ray Kralis has named Hockensmith the 2007-08 recipient of the Helen Cushman Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to the women's golf team member who has shown academic excellence, golf expertise, and a dedication to the game.
"Tiffany has had an impact on the team from the day she arrived on campus," said Kralis. "She is very competitive and committed to taking her game to a higher level. She had the low stroke average on the team and earned all-conference honors last year, and we look for continued success this year. Because of the type of impact she had last year and will have in the future, she is very deserving of this award."
The Helen Cushman Endowment Scholarship was established in 1995. Nina Chesebro created the scholarship to honor Helen Cushman, a long-time friend. Chesebro and her sister, Pat, built an amazing relationship with Helen over the years. Golf was one of the activities the women enjoyed doing together. The award is handed out annually to a worthy women's golf student-athlete.
"Being selected to receive such an amazing award like the Helen Cushman Endowed scholarship is a great honor," said Hockensmith. "There are so many great golfers who were awarded this great honor in the past such as Hilary Anderson and I'm flattered that out of the many qualified individuals they selected me. I am so grateful for the many supporters that Illinois State Athletics has. It amazes me to see what an incredible family and support system I have found at Illinois State. It is unlike any other I have ever experienced. I only hope I can honor the past recipients of this scholarship as well as my teammates and coaches as a Redbird golfer."
Hockensmith transferred to Illinois State from Indiana University. During the 2006-07 season, Hockensmith led the team with a low stroke average of 77.8 and earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors. She also fired a season low of 72 three times to help her achieve her low stroke average.
For information about supporting this, or other Illinois State University endowments for student-athletes, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
