Award nominees announced; winners to be named at Academic Excellence Banquet         

[OCT. 25, 2005]  NORMAL -- The night will be full of awards and recognition when, in addition to the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, three special awards will be distributed at the State Farm Academic Excellence Banquet, slated for Sunday.

Though Collins will not be present at the banquet because of prior commitments, the men's basketball great will be represented at the event by Don Franke, a close friend of Collins. Collins' name will nonetheless be tied to the highest academic distinction distributed by the Illinois State Athletics Department.

The nominees for this year's Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award are former Redbird football kicker Stephen Carroll, former baseball pitcher Brandon Gale, men's basketball's Neil Plank, cross country and track standout Dan Tripp, and Kyle Vasel, a former member of the men's golf team.

Herman will be presenting the award named in her honor. Candidates for the accolade are soccer midfielder-defender Heather Forsyth, women's tennis player Laura Gravino, women's track athlete Andrea Mosher, former volleyball standout Amber Rogers, women's golfer Ashlie Rose and former softball second baseman Kate Stake.

Three additional awards that were started in 2004 will also be presented at the State Farm Academic Excellence Banquet: the Impact, Good Neighbor and Phoenix awards.

The recipient of the Impact Award embodies the commitment to excellence. This individual desires to make an impact on the lives of others with outstanding leadership skills, commitment to academics and service to the community. Nominees for the Impact Award are men's golfer Ryan Brown, football player Janiah Downing, track's Mosher, former Redbird volleyball setter Kelly Rikli and softball outfielder Jackie Williams.

The Phoenix Award is given to an individual who has overcome academic challenges and has made consistent academic progress throughout his or her career. Illinois State student-athletes who were nominated for the Phoenix Award are former men's basketball player Gregg Alexander, volleyball outside hitter Laura Doornbos, baseball pitcher Steve Kroeschen, swimming captain Monique Witkowski and football defensive end Sesamir Yearby.

The Good Neighbor Award is given to a student-athlete who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to excellence in academics, service to others and personal conduct. Prospective recipients volunteer their time to assist fellow student-athletes in their endeavors to achieve their academic goals. Nominees for this year's Good Neighbor Award are baseball outfielder Matt Bolt, football player Downing, softball infielder Tricia Gaither, women's basketball center Holly Hallstrom and football tight end Kevin Kreger.

[Illinois State University news release]

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