May 29, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - The N Club held its annual Senior Recognition Banquet Wednesday at the Omni Orrington Hotel, and recognized some of Northwestern's finest athletic efforts from the past season while inducting the senior class into the N Club.
Two athletes were nominated for the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor, freshman Cristelle Grier (Surrey, England/Putney) of the women's tennis team and senior Kellan O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Prep) from men's swimming. This award is given annually to one male and one female student-athlete of outstanding academic and athletic talent, and Grier and O'Connor will now automatically be nominees for the all-conference Big Ten Medal of Honor.
Grier had an amazing freshman season, winning 28 straight singles matches during the spring and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championship, farther than any NU player in history. Grier was honored as the Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year -- just the second time in history one player has swept both awards -- as she helped the 'Cats to their fifth straight Big Ten Tournament title and an NCAA regional bid.
O'Connor, meanwhile, has been the Big Ten champion in the 200 butterfly each of the last two years, and holds the school record in that event. A seven-time All-America, he finished seventh in the 200 fly and 15th in the 200 individual medley at this year's national championships.
The N Club Performance Award winners were Rachel Evjen (Eau Claire, Wis./North) of women's cross country and Austin King (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) of football. This award is presented to one male and one female student-athlete in recognition of "spectacular and outstanding" athletic performance by a graduating senior and letter award winner.
Evjen was NU's top runner in every race she ran the last three years, and led NU to the NCAA Championships last fall in just its fifth season back as a varsity. A three-time All-District and two-time All-Big Ten runner, Evjen graduates with the top six 6-kilometer times in school history including the school-record 20:52 set this past fall. King, meanwhile, was a three-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection at center who captained the Wildcats on the gridiron last season. In April, he was a fourth-round draft pick of the Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kelli Meyer (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) from women's volleyball and Bjorn Widerstedt (Vasteras, Sweden/Carlforsska Gymnasiet) from men's golf were the recipients of the N Club Achievement Award, which is given to the student-athletes (one male and one female) who have exhibited the qualities of good citizenship, significant academic achievement and outstanding athletic performance. Meyer, one of this year's team captains, helped NU reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1984 to cap a stellar career; she graduates as the first player in school history to record more than 2,000 assists, 600 kills and 500 digs, and she ranks fourth on the school's all-time assist chart. Widerstedt, meanwhile, is one of five finalists for the 2003 Byron Nelson Award, which honors the top Division I golfer nationally with regard to athletic accomplishment, academic scholarship and community service. He had three top-10 finishes this spring and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection while finishing with the team's second-best stroke average (73.00 per round).
The Billy McKinney Award is presented to the male student-athlete who has exhibited exemplary leadership qualities, constant (110 percent) effort, and a positive attitude that, in his coach's estimation, makes him a "coach's dream." For the second time in three years, the award was split among two men, wrestler John Giacche (Flemington, N.J./Blair Academy) and swimmer David Hersh (West Milford, N.J./West Milford). Giacche, a former NCAA Championships participant, competed in all 17 duals this season and went 19-17 overall at 141 pounds. Hersh was a team captain for the men's swim team, helping them to a fourth-place finish at Big Tens each of the last two years. Both Giacche and Hersh also earned multiple Academic All-Big Ten honors during their careers.
Rachel Johnson (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) from women's swimming was bestowed the Lisa Ishikawa Award, which is presented to a female student-athlete who has exhibited outstanding leadership ability and selfless dedication to team goals; Ishikawa's determination and positive attitude led her to perform above and beyond the expected. A former All-America swimmer who also earned All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten honors during her career, Johnson captained the team this season and was a National Scholar-Athlete honoree by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America last year.
Pin Chen (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge) from fencing and David DeHorn (Troy, Mich./Troy) from men's soccer were given The Director's Award, which is presented to the senior male and female student-athletes who will graduate with the highest cumulative grade point average of all graduating student-athletes. Chen went 20-18 for the Wildcats' foil squad this season, nearly doubling the number of wins she had in her first two seasons combined, and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. DeHorn was part of men's soccer's spectacular turnaround this season, as the 'Cats won eight matches after just one win the previous two years.
Northwestern also announced its 2003 NCAA Woman of the Year candidate at the event. This award recognizes individual excellence in three areas: athletics, academics and community service. One graduating senior at each NCAA institution who participates in the 1999-2000 academic year will be recognized as the "NCAA Woman of the Year" and will automatically be eligible for state selection. Northwestern's nominee for this year is Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) from softball.
An accomplished woman on and off the field, Schwendimann is a two-time NFCA second-team All-Region selection and second-team All-Big Ten pick. She will graduate this year holding down the No. 3 spot on the school's all-time lists for innings pitched, wins, appearances and complete games, and she threw two no-hitters in her career. Schwendimann is also President of NU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and she leaves Northwestern on a high note as she helped the 'Cats advance to the Big Ten Tournament final for the first time since 1982 and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2000.
The Northwestern Alumni Association also presented awards tonight to the top graduating senior scholar-athlete from each varsity team. To qualify for the award, a minimum of three years of participation at Northwestern and a minimum GPA of 3.00 are required. This year's recipients are:
Baseball -- Chris Spiering
Women's Basketball -- Natalie Will
Cross Country -- Karen Rogers
Fencing -- Pin Chen
Field Hockey -- Stacy Spenser
Football -- Ben Kennedy
Men's Golf -- Bjorn Widerstedt
Women's Golf -- Erin Breslin
Lacrosse -- Kendra Mesa
Men's Soccer -- David DeHorn
Women's Soccer -- Alana Stamas
Softball -- Lauren Schwendimann
Men's Swimming -- David Hersh
Women's Swimming -- Carmen Cosgrove
Men's Tennis -- Russell Bennett
Women's Tennis -- Lillie Askari
Volleyball -- Kelli Meyer
Wrestling -- Brendan Curran