Christin Eberst Named Miami Female Athlete of the Year
7/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
July 24, 2006
OXFORD, Ohio -- Seven individuals, including three All-Americans and three league players of the year, have been selected to receive Miami University Athletics' most prestigious annual awards, Miami University Director of Athletics Brad Bates announced today (July 24).
Andy Greene (ice hockey) and Dan Huling (men's cross country/track & field) share the Male Athlete of the Year honor, while Christin Eberst (women's swimming & diving) captured the Female Athlete of the Year award. David Hine (men's swimming & diving) and David Mitchell (men's cross country/track & field) were Male Co-Scholar-Athletes of the Year, while Taryn Nye (women's track & field) was the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Cindi Merrill (women's basketball) earned Miami's highest honor for a female student-athlete, the Leann Grimes Davidge Memorial Award.
"This is a tremendous group of seniors," said Bates. "What they collectively have been able to accomplish during their illustrious Miami careers in the athletic arenas, in the classroom and in the community is truly impressive. Each one has made a mark on his or her respective program in some way that will be remembered for years to come."
Greene (Trenton, Mich.), a senior defenseman on the ice hockey team, became the program's second two-time All-American, capturing First-Team All-America honors after leading Miami to the program's second Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season crown and the first No. 1 national ranking in school history. Tabbed both the CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman and Best Defensive Defenseman in 2005-06, Greene became the first player in league history to earn both awards in the same season. It was his second Best Offensive Defenseman award. One of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, Greene was ranked ninth nationally and second in the CCHA in 2006 in points by a defenseman. Greene became just the fourth defenseman and the 36th player in program history to join the 100-point club. He also was a three-time First-Team All-CCHA selection, becoming the first CCHA defenseman to accomplish the feat in 19 years. Never missing a game during his four years, Greene finished his career as Miami's all-time leader in games played and consecutive games played (159).
Huling (Geneva, Ill./Geneva Community), a senior on Miami's men's cross country and track & field teams, became Miami's first dual All-American in cross country and track & field in 61 years (1944-45). After seizing the 2005 Individual MAC Cross Country title, Miami's first since 1980, Huling went on to finish fifth at the Great Lakes Regional and 26th at the NCAA Championships. As the 13th American finisher at the NCAA Championships, he earned All-America status. At the 2006 MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Huling won the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase en route to MAC Most Valuable Performer accolades while becoming the first RedHawk to win three individual MAC Championships at the same meet. He went on to compete in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championships, placing sixth and earning All-America honors as the second-best American finisher. During his career, Huling won a combined five MAC titles, including four in 2005-06, set records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the indoor mile and 3,000 meters, while earning All-MAC honors four times.
Eberst (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), a senior diver for the RedHawks, earned her second consecutive Mid-American Conference Diver of the Year award in 2006 and qualified for her third NCAA Championship. She posted her best NCAA Championship finish with a 19th-place showing on the one-meter board and notched a 36th-place finish in the three-meter dive. During her Miami career, she was a part of a dominant Miami women's swimming & diving program, which won three MAC titles (2003, `04, `05), went 48-6 in dual meet action and has produced 30 consecutive conference dual meet wins. She earned seven conference medals during her Miami career and medaled at all four MAC Championships, including a silver medal in the one-meter dive and a bronze medal in the three-meter event in 2006. Eberst, who was a two-time All-MAC honoree, owns Miami records in the three-meter dive for both six and 11 dives. A three-time College Swim Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American, Eberst also earned CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-District honors and was an Academic All-MAC selection in 2006.
Hine (Crescent Springs, Ky./Covington Catholic), a senior breaststroke and freestyle specialist, posted a 3.88 grade-point average and majored in creative writing and history. A co-captain for the men's swimming & diving team, Hine helped the RedHawks to the 2006 MAC Championship--their first since 1999--while unseating six-time defending champion Eastern Michigan. At the MAC Championships, he scored points in the 500 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke for the RedHawks en route to the team title. During his Miami tenure, Hine scored points for Miami at every MAC Championship meet as the RedHawks posted one championship and two runner-up finishes. Additionally, Hine helped Miami gain recognition in 2006 from the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) as a Division I Scholar All-American Team. The RedHawks, who posted a 3.03 team GPA, finished with the 27th-best team grade-point average, nationally.
Mitchell (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South), a senior on the men's track & field team who also competed four years in cross country, notched a 3.83 grade-point average and majored in English Literature and political science. Mitchell, who earned the MAC's prestigious Bob James Postgraduate Scholarship, was a Third-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2004-05 and was recently published in the Duke Law Review. A three-time NCAA Championship qualifier (twice in cross country, once in track & field), Mitchell earned All-American honors with his 30th-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Mitchell was twice the runner-up at the MAC Cross Country Championships (2003 and 2004), was the Ohio Cross Country Coaches Association Division I Male Athlete of the Year in 2003-04 and also was a United States Cross Country Coaches Association Scholar All-American (2003-04). A three-time All-MAC honoree in cross country and four-time Academic All-MAC pick (three times cross country, once track & field), Mitchell scored points for the RedHawks in four MAC Track & Field Championships.
Nye (St. Johnsbury, Vt./St. Johnsbury), a senior multi-event specialist for the women's track & field team, posted a 3.81 GPA and majored in architecture. She was a two-time All-MAC and a two-time Academic All-MAC selection. Nye was the silver medalist in the heptathlon at the 2006 MAC Outdoor Championships and the bronze-medal winner in the pentathlon at the 2006 MAC Indoor Championships. She also scored points for the RedHawks in the high jump and 4x400 meter relays at both MAC Championship meets this season. During the indoor season, Nye posted the second-best pentathlon score in school history, scoring 3,730 points at the Findlay Invitational, while recording the second-best heptathlon score with 5,009 points at the SeaRay Relays during the outdoor season. Additionally, Nye helped Miami earn All-Academic Team honors for Division I by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association this season with a team GPA of 3.17, which ranked 35th nationally.
Merrill (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), a senior guard on the women's basketball team, earned all-MAC honors in each of her final three seasons. Known throughout her career for her toughness and relentless style of play, Merrill showed her true character during a trying senior season in which she led a young team that was decimated by injuries. Merrill played through an array of injuries, including a broken thumb, a broken hand and a broken nose, while leading the RedHawks and ranking among the Mid-American Conference leaders in scoring (14.6 ppg). She was tabbed the 2006 Wilma Rudolph Courage Award recipient by the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Women's Sports Foundation. Merrill finished her career as a two-time team captain and the fourth-leading scorer in Miami history (1,497). An explosive scorer, Merrill topped 20 points in a game 25 times over her last three seasons, including six during the 2005-06 campaign, and ranked second all-time at Miami in career 20-point games. She helped Miami to two MAC East Championships and an overall league title and WNIT berth in 2003-04. Merrill, who was a solid student in the classroom, was also very active in community service throughout her career, serving as a catalyst in Miami women's basketball's recent involvement with Camp Katrina.
Miami's Male and Female Athlete of the Year honors are awarded to any student-athlete (freshman, sophomore, junior or senior) who has made significant athletic contributions to his/her respective team for that academic year. The Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards are bestowed upon a student-athlete of senior standing, who has excelled in the classroom as well as in the athletic arena.
Noted as Miami's top award for an upperclass female student-athlete, the Leann Grimes Davidge Award is presented in honor of the former Miami women's tennis coach from 1979 to 1985, who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident. In six years as head coach, Davidge compiled an overall record of 93-50 and 25-1 in MAC action, while capturing four consecutive MAC Championships. This award is meant to keep her legacy alive through recognition of outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in athletics, academics and leadership.
The seven honorees will be recognized at halftime of a Miami Athletics event, which will be announced at a later date.
