June 1, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern University junior baseball student-athlete Kenneth Avila (Corpus Christi, Texas/W.B. Ray) has been recognized as the overall male recipient of the 2009 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award. Yolanda Odenyo, a senior on the Oklahoma State women's soccer team, was named the top female honoree.
Established in 1992 by the publication Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, the Sports Scholars Awards honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr. A scholar and athlete, Ashe sought to expand opportunities for young people.
In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community activism. To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2; and be active on their campuses or in their communities. This year approximately 600 male and female student-athletes from across the country were nominated.
A year ago, Avila was one of 10 baseball players nationally to be recognized and this year was selected as the overall top male honor as selected from a list of 10 finalists who had been considered earlier this month.
During the recently completed 2009 season, Avila led Northwestern with a .298 batting average. He appeared in all 50 games, including making 48 starts, mostly in center field.
An Academic All-Big Ten recipient each of the last two seasons, Avila is a double major in economics and legal studies. This summer he will be participating in the prestigious Wall Street Internship Program which provides collegiate sophomores and juniors paid internships at some of the top investment banking firms in the world. Avila will serve his internship beginning in June with JPMorgan.
To read more about Avila, his award selection and his efforts in the community, click here.