University of North Carolina Athletics
Four Tar Heels Honored By ACC
March 16, 2009 | General
March 16, 2009
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Four North Carolina student-athletes are among a total of 42 who have been honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference with postgraduate scholarships or honorary awards, the ACC announced recently. Brock Baker (cross country/track and field), Kelly Davies (volleyball) and Kelly Taylor (women's lacrosse) are recipients of Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarships and Yael Averbuch (women's soccer) is the recipient of a Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award.
Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker scholarships were awarded to 36 ACC student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate-level degree following graduation. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to use towards his or her graduate education. Student-athletes receiving the award have performed with distinction in both the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, six student-athletes received Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Awards. These students will be recognized for their outstanding performance in both athletic competition and the classroom throughout their collegiate careers and intend to compete at the Olympic or professional level.
aker, a senior from Nashville, Tenn., is working toward a double major in biology and Romance languages. A Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC, he is the recipient of the Sterling Stoudemire Medal for Excellence in Romance Languages. He was a 2008 All-ACC Academic Team selection for cross country and also has been named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and the Dean's List. A team captain for both cross country and track and field, he represents his squads on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and is a recipient of the Three-Dimensional Leader Award, the Carolina Leadership Academy's highest honor.
Davies, a senior from Gainesville, Fla., is a journalism major. She has been named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and the Dean's List. Away from the court, she volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House and the UNC Children's Hospital and also works as a reporter for Carolina Week, a student television program. A defensive specialist, she had the team's third-highest serve percentage in 2008.
Taylor, a senior from Manlius, N.Y., is majoring in communication studies. A 2008 All-ACC Academic Team selection for women's lacrosse, she also has earned spots on the Dean's List and ACC Academic Honor Roll. She volunteers as a tutor and mentor in the Chapel Hill school system and is a recipient of the Three-Dimensional Leader Award, the Carolina Leadership Academy's highest honor. A former member of the U.S. Developmental National Team, she was a second-team All-Region selection in 2008 and All-ACC Tournament in 2007.
Averbuch, a senior from Upper Montclair, N.J., is majoring in psychology. She was named ESPN The Magazine Women's Soccer Academic All-America of the Year and National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2008, when she helped the Tar Heels to the second NCAA title of her career. A two-time ACC Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she is three-time All-America selection and three-time Academic All-America pick. A team captain and recipient of the CLA's Three-Dimensional Leader Award, she holds the program record for career games started with 105. She was the fourth pick in the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James as well as Gene Corrigan, all former ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954 to 1970 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.
Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.
Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were given as separate honors. The Jim Weaver award, which originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.
The Thacker award, which originated in 2005, is awarded in honor of the late Jim and Pat Thacker of Charlotte, N.C. Jim Thacker was the primary play-by-play announcer for the ACC's first television network. Recipients of the award must demonstrate outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom and intend to further their education through post-graduate studies at an ACC institution.
The 42 student-athletes will be honored April 15, 2009, in Greensboro, N.C., at a luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club. The luncheon will be held at the Koury Convention Center.
Weaver-James-Corrigan Award Recipients are as follows: Boston College - Caroline Byron (women's swimming and diving); Bob Dirks (field hockey); Emily Hannigan (women's lacrosse); Clemson - Megan Bendik (rowing). Jimmy Maners (football), Rachel Regone (women's swimming and diving); Duke - Kim Imbesi (women's lacrosse), Melissa Mang, (women's tennis), Peter Truszkowski (fencing); Florida State - Ania Rynarzewska (women's tennis); Keyla Smith (women's track and field); Matt Wernke (men's track and field); Georgia Tech - David Dragoo (men's golf), Whitney Haller (softball); Jason Haniger (baseball), Maryland - Dean Muhtadi (football), Sarah Scholl (field hockey); Christen Vagts (water polo); Miami - Britta Boesing (women's swimming and diving), Corynn Carino (women's soccer), Nene Kamate, (women's track and field); North Carolina - Brock Baker (men's cross country), Kelly Davies (women's volleyball), Kelly Taylor (women's lacrosse) ; NC State - Aiwane Iboaya (volleyball), Tami Krzeszewski (women's soccer); Ashley Shepard (gymnastics); Virginia - Billie-Jo Grant (women's track and field), Ryan Hurley (men's swimming and diving), Pat Mellors (men's swimming and diving); Virginia Tech - Tasmin Fanning (women's track and field); Kim Hickey (women's soccer); Taylor Walsh (men's soccer); Wake Forest - Sam Cronin (men's soccer), Camelyn Dillon (women's soccer), Natalie Mullikin (volleyball).
Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award Recipients are as follows: Duke - Amanda Blumenherst (women's golf); Maryland - Dan Gronkowski (football); Miami - Jack McClinton (men's basketball); North Carolina -- Yael Averbuch (women's soccer); NC State - Ben McCauley (men's basketball); Virginia - Andrew Carraway (baseball).
Players Mentioned
