TCU Honors Student-Athletes at All-Sports Banquet
4/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
April 28, 2009
The TCU Athletics Department hosted its annual All-Sports Banquet on Monday evening where juniors Jerry Hughes and Jessica Young were honored with the department's highest accolade in the Pop Boone Athletes of the Year Award.
Hughes was selected as a consensus All-American as well as finalist for the National Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the nation with 15 sacks to go along with six forced fumbles. The TCU defensive end also ranked in the top-10 in tackles for loss (19.5) while also posting three fumble recoveries, two interceptions with one of them returned for a touchdown.
The Frog junior keyed a TCU defense that led the nation in run defense, total defense and fewest first downs allowed per game. Hughes also received National Player of the Week honors after recording four sacks and two forced fumbles in a 32-7 victory over BYU.
Young finished the indoor track and field season with All-American laurels after placing fourth overall in the 60-meter dash with a 7.27 at the NCAA Championships. By clocking a fourth-place finish, the three-time All-American posted the highest finish ever in the women's 60-meter dash for a Frog in NCAA indoor competition.
The TCU junior earned multiple crowns at the Mountain West Conference championships after earning gold medals in both the 60- and 400-meter dashes. She also anchored the women's 4x400-meter relay team to a team title en route to being selected as the Most Outstanding Performer at the Mountain West Conference Championships.
Hunt Woodruff and Tanya Gorin were honored with the Dutch Meyer Scholar-Athletes of the Year Award, which is named for the former TCU Athletics Director. The award is given to a graduating senior with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, who has been an integral participant on their team and has demonstrated service to the campus and community.
Woodruff has appeared in 19 games this season, including six trips to the starting rotation. The TCU senior notched the game-winning home run over MWC-foe Utah, which gave the Frogs their first conference triumph of the season.
Gorin led the Frogs to an 11-2 overall record this season in women's rifle. The TCU senior posted a first-place finish at the Horned Frog Invitational and recorded two perfect rounds in the prone position to aid the Frogs to triumphs over Ole Miss and Nebraska.
The TCU baseball team was honored with the Hal Jay Community Spirit Athlete Award, which is presented annually to a TCU student-athlete or team that goes above and beyond the call of duty in the field of community service.
The Frogs were involved in a variety of campus and community service activities this past academic campaign by volunteering at Cooks Children's Hospital as well as building a house for Habitat-for-Humanity. The baseball program is avid supporters of the Frog Club Reading Challenge and has recently become very involved for Frogs for the Cure.
Diver R.J. Hesselberg was honored with the 2009 William Koehler Academic Achievement Award, which is presented to a student-athlete who displays tremendous perseverance and accomplishment while overcoming obstacles of a unique nature.
Ben Carruthers was honored with the Chancellor's Award, which is presented to a student-athlete who displays exceptional talent in multiple areas. Carruthers has been a mainstay in the Frogs lineup for the last three seasons and has posted a .275 batting average with 10 extra base hits in 32 games this season.
The TCU Athletics Department also honored the Most Valuable Players for each respective team at the All-Sports Banquet, which are listed below:
Kevin Langford (Men's Basketball)
Jerry Hughes (Football)
James Sacheck (Men's Golf)
R.J. Hesselberg (Men's Swimming and Diving)
Kriegler Brink (Men's Tennis)
Helena Sverrisdottir (Women's Basketball)
Carrie von Uhlit (Equestrian)
Valentine Derrey (Women's Golf)
Erin Lorenzen (Women's Rifle)
Lizzy Karoly (Women's Soccer)
Maria Paula Alvarez (Women's Swimming and Diving)
Macall Harkins (Women's Tennis)
Jessica Young (Women's Track and Field)
Nirelle Hampton (Women's Volleyball)
Tanja Ivandic (Women's Cross Country)
In addition, the Frogs recognized eight student-athletes that posted All-American honors during the 2008-09 academic campaign, which are listed below:
Jerry Hughes (Football)
Jessica Young (Women's Track and Field)
Hayley Shade (Women's Track and Field)
Kishelle Paul (Women's Track and Field)
Jessica Clarke (Women's Track and Field)
Erin Lorenzen (Women's Rifle)
Simone Riford (Women's Rifle)
Jordan Calhoun (Women's Soccer)
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Players Mentioned
