Miami Athletics Announces 2014-15 Award Winners
7/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Ohio ââ'¬" The Miami University Athletic Department announced Monday that nine student-athletes have earned its most prestigious annual awards and will be honored at halftime of the Miami versus Northern Illinois football game on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Earning Male Athlete of the Year was Quinten Rollins (football), while the Female Athlete of the Year award was shared by Amelia Strickler (track and field) and Pei Lin (swimming and diving). Ben Paulides (hockey) was named Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, while Meg Riley (volleyball) earned Female Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. The Phillip Shriver Graduating Champions Medal of Honor - which is presented to an outstanding graduating male and female student-athlete who have been members of a championship team during their careers, along with being leaders and epitomizing Love and Honor ââ'¬" was awarded to Austin Czarnik (hockey) and Alix Thurman (tennis). The Darrell Hedric Award was earned by Joe Stewart (cross country/track and field), while Courtney Larson (basketball) captured the Leann Grimes Davidge Award.
Rollins (Wilmington, Ohio) made an incredible transition to football during the 2014 season after completing a four-year career on the men's basketball team. In his lone year of football, he recorded 72 tackles, seven interceptions, four tackles for loss and nine pass breakups on his way to earning MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Rollins started all 12 games at cornerback for the Red and White, recording his first career interception versus Eastern Kentucky. The following week he had two interceptions versus Cincinnati and picked off a pass versus Michigan the ensuing week. In his final game as a RedHawk the senior logged a pair of interceptions versus arch-rival Ohio, returning one for a 27-yard touchdown, his lone score of his college career. He was drafted in the second round (62nd overall) by the Green Bay Packers in May.
Strickler (Bay Village, Ohio) was a two-time Second-Team All-American for the RedHawks in the shot put, qualifying for both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championship meets. The junior finished 15th at the indoor championships and 12th at the outdoor event. Strickler finished second overall in the MAC Indoor Championship and third in the MAC Outdoor Championship. She set a school record in the shot put this past season with a throw of 55-5.75 at the GVSU Big Meet.
Lin (Shantou City, China), a sophomore, finished off an amazing season for Miami by placing second in the three-meter dive at the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships. It was the best finish at the NCAA meet by any RedHawk women's swimmer or diver in school history, and earned her First-Team All-American status. Lin also finished 10th in the one-meter dive to capture honorable mention All-America honors in the event. She was named MAC Diver of the Year, winning every meet she participated in prior to the NCAA Championship meet, including the NCAA Zone Diving events.
Paulides (San Jose, Calif.) graduated with a 3.58 GPA and a degree in interdisciplinary business management. A steady defenseman the past four seasons for the RedHawks' hockey team, he had six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in his career. That includes three goals and a career-high seven assists as a senior this past year. He finished +26 on the ice during his four-year career.
Riley (St. Louis, Mo.) graduated with a 3.97 GPA in mechanical engineering and was the valedictorian of her class. She was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Team selected by CoSIDA as a senior in 2015, the volleyball team's first Academic All-American since 1997 and first First-Team member since 1984. She was selected to the Capital One Academic All-District V First Team in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the first three-time First-Team selection in volleyball history. A two-time First Team All-MAC selection as both a setter and right side hitter, Riley finished with 1,045 kills and 2,108 assists. She is the only student-athlete in Miami history to have over 1,000 career kills and 2,000 career assists.
Czarnik (Washington, Mich.) served as team captain the past two seasons and led the RedHawks to the NCHC Tournament Championship in 2015. He was a three-time All-American during his playing career, the Miami hockey player to earn the honor three times. In 159 games at Miami, Czarnik notched 169 points (tied for fifth in program history) on 46 goals and 123 assists (second). He notched 40 or more points in each of his final three seasons with the RedHawks. Czarnik signed an entry-level deal with the NHL's Boston Bruins in April and will begin his pro career with the Providence Bruins, Boston's American Hockey League affiliate.
Thurman (Harrison Twp., Mich.) helped lead the Miami tennis team to four straight MAC Championships, three MAC Tournament crowns and three NCAA appearances. She was named the MAC Tournament MVP in each of the past two seasons and was a First-Team All-MAC selection in 2015. Thurman finished her RedHawk career with an 83-42 record in singles play. She took on a leadership role with a new coaching staff as a senior, serving as team captain.
Stewart (Naperville, Ill.) has been a team-leader throughout his first three seasons on the Miami cross country and track and field teams. This season he won the MAC Championship in the 10,000 meters and placed second in the 5,000 meters. Despite the exhaustion, he came back and ran in the 1,500 meter race for the RedHawks just to give the team a chance to score more points in the meet. His efforts qualified him for the NCAA East Regional for the first time in his career. In cross country in 2014, Stewart won the All-Ohio Championship and placed third in the MAC Championship. He qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championship. Stewart has served the campus community as a resident assistant in McFarland Hall, helping first-year students integrate into college life.
Larson (Columbus, Ind.) was a leader both on and off the court for the women's basketball team. Last season, she served as team-captain, mentor and only senior starter for a squad that had freshmen play more minutes than any other Division I team in the country. A kinesiology major, she remained focused in the classroom all four years finishing with a GPA of 3.98. After her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, Larson became an advocate for raising awareness and funds to fight this deadly disease. She donated her hair to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program and spent several hours assisting in the promotion of the women's basketball team's annual Think Pink game.
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.
The Shriver Graduating Champions Medal of Honor is presented in honor of former Miami University President Dr. Phillip R. Shriver, who served in the position from 1965 to 1981, and requires the recipient to have won a championship in his or her time at Miami. Shriver's support of the athletic programs, student-athletes, coaches and support staff went far beyond his stint as Miami University's 17th president. A fixture at Miami Athletics events, Dr. Shriver's legacy lives on through the development of athletics during his tenure as president and his unwavering support of the Red and White.
Noted as a top award for an upper class 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 Darrell Hedric Award is presented in honor of a 1955 Miami Alumnus and former men's basketball coach and associate athletic director emeritus, who has had a more-than 50-year association with Miami Athletics. He was a three-time MAC Coach of the Year and two-time Ohio Basketball Coach of the Year, leading Miami to four NCAA Tournament appearances in 14 years guiding the Red and White.
