Four Horned Frogs receive TCU monthly accolades
11/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Nov. 3, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Women's tennis' Nicole Leimbach and football's Robert Merrill were named TCU's Student-Athletes of the Month on Thursday. Craig Stopa from the men's tennis team and Camille Blackerby of women's golf snagged Scholar-Athlete of the Month honors as well.Leimbach won the Riviera/ITA All-American Championship on Oct. 9 in Pacific Palisades, Calif., to become the first Horned Frog in school history to win a grand slam event in collegiate tennis. The nation's No. 3-ranked player, Leimbach defeated No. 5 Daniela Bercek from Duke in straight sets in the championship match, 6-3, 6-4. The victory avenged three losses Leimbach suffered to Bercek last season in dual matches.
Merrill rushed for a season-high 170 yards and two touchdowns in the 23-20 win at San Diego State on Oct. 29, scoring the game-tying touchdown in the third quarter on a 21-yard run. He averaged 87 yards per game rushing (4.8 per carry) in TCU's 5-0 month, running for a touchdown in each contest and totaling six scores.
Blackerby had a pair of top-five finishes. She placed second at the Lady Paladin Invitational over Oct. 14-16, just one stroke off the individual lead. Her final round 71, which tied for the low score on the day, gave her a 54-hole total of 219 (+3). Ranked 144th nationally, Blackerby tied for fourth at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational over Oct. 11-12, as the Frogs posted a 21-stroke victory to capture the team title. She carded a 218 (+2).
Stopa competed at the ITA South Central Regional Championships, where he advanced to the fourth round of the consolation singles bracket. At the Bose International Indoor Tennis Championships, Stopa narrowly missed reaching the third round in singles and made the semifinals in doubles with partner Andrew Ulrich.
To be eligible for the Horned Frogs' Scholar-Athlete of the Month, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.2 grade-point average.
