May 8, 2007

George Mason University held its annual student-athlete awards ceremony at the Patriot Center on Monday night. The student-athletes gathered to commemorate accomplishments, both on the field and in the classroom.

The seniors were honored with the George Mason Award, which was commissioned in January of 1997 in an effort to recognize the culmination of a student-athlete's participation in intercollegiate athletics. The hand-sculpted artwork of George Mason was designed as a permanent remembrance of both the institution and the student-athlete's legacy. A total of 57 seniors from 17 sports and the cheerleading and dance teams accepted the award.

The Aimee Willard commemorative award was won by junior men's volleyball player Mark Burik. The award was established in 1997 and is presented to the Mason student-athlete who best exemplifies the standards of quality set by Aimee: intensity, consistency of purpose, achievement, and teamwork. Nominees are selected by head coaches and the recipient is selected by Gail Willard, Aimee's mother, and the Willard family.

Burik is an outside hitter from Glendale, N.Y. He started all 22 games this year for the men's volleyball team and was third on the team in kills and assists. He was also second on the squad in service aces and digs.

Murielle Ahoure won the Dr. Frank Pettrone Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award on Monday at the annual student-athlete awards banquet.

The final awards of the night were presented to the winners of the Dr. Frank Pettrone Student-Athlete of the Year Award. The winners of this award are selected by the student-athletes based on the following standards: be a team player on and off the field, demonstrate motivational qualities and good sportsmanship and maintain good academic standing.

Track and Field's Murielle Ahoure won the Female Student-Athlete of the Year award, beating out Melissa Curry of Lacrosse, Arielle Weinkofsky of softball and Rachel Wiggins of soccer. Ahoure, a sophomore, was an Indoor All-American in the 60-meters, was named Co-Most Outstanding Track Performer at the CAA Championships and the MVP of the ECAC Indoor Championships. She is a five-time ECAC and CAA champion.

Swimming and Diving's Tom Koucheravy won the Male Student-Athlete of the Year award, beating out Scott Krieger of baseball, Ryan McCoy of track and field and Graham Sheppard of volleyball. Koucheravy, a senior, had twice been a finalist for the award before winning this year. He was an honorable mention All-American in the 1,650-yard freestyle, the CAA Swimmer of the Year and the Most Outstanding Swimmer at the CAA Championships. He won the CAA Swimmer of the Year and Most Oustanding Swimmer at the CAA Championships in his sophomore and junior seasons as well. As a junior, he was a two-time All-American. This season, Koucheravy qualified for the NCAA Swimming Championships in two events.

Tom Koucheravy won the Dr. Frank Pettrone Male Student-Athlete of the Year award on Monday at the annual student-athlete awards banquet.

The Scholar-Athletes were recognized as well during the ceremony. In order to earn the Scholar-Athlete Award, seniors must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.4 or greater, juniors must have a gpa of 3.5 or greater, sophomores must earn a gpa of 3.6 or greater and freshmen must have a gpa of 3.7 or greater. Grades are through fall, 2006 and all student-athletes must have completed at least two semesters, excluding freshmen. Here is a list of those Scholar-Athletes:

SENIORS Chantal Bodkin-Clarke, Volleyball; Olivia Brown, Soccer; Mark Burik, Volleyball; Brooke Crowther, Swimming; Melissa Curry, Lacrosse; William Dufresne, Swimming; Lee Ann Fisher, Rowing; Jay Friedman, Tennis; Dan Hurley, Golf; Laura Lazarus, Cheerleading; Elizabeth Ouzts, Swimming; Amanda Russell, Dance; Alexandra Velesz, Lacrosse; Melissa Venturi, LACROSSE (NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient); Rachel Wiggins, Soccer; Janelle Wilson, Volleyball; Katlyn Winter, Softball.

JUNIORS Kelly Beyer, Cheerleading; Kristen Byler, Volleyball; Casey Clausen, Rowing; Kristin Dickel, Softball; Sarah Fack, Soccer; MacGregor Lennarz, Track and Field; Erica Locher, Swimming; Amelia Nelson, Rowing; Jessica Paris, Soccer; Mallory Pucci, Swimming; Laura Salichs, Soccer; Brittany Surkovich, Swimming; Arielle Wienkofsky, Softball.

SOPHOMORES Robert Batchelder, Soccer; Margaret Bridges, Lacrosse; Kathleen Dolan, Rowing; Virginia Fuller, Rowing; Rachel Hastings, Softball; Ryan Jenkins, Soccer; Chelsea Kropp, Volleyball; Paige Krystofinski, Softball; Justin Mallette, Swimming; Paige Miller, Softball; Jennifer Mockler, Rowing; Mutsa Nyakabau, Track & Field; Allyson Romanow, Track & Field; Courtney Symczak, Cheerleading; Nicole Toueg, Cheerleading; Alicia Van Zandt, Tennis; Jordan Wheatley, Rowing.

FRESHMEN Rebecca Anderson, Softball; Anastas Budagov, Tennis; Danielle Caldwell, Lacrosse; Joary Casey, Track & Field; Theresa DeLucca, Soccer; Steven Dunn, Track & Field; Richard Edgar, Soccer; Kristin Escobar, Swimming; Rashauna Hobbs, Basketball; Caitlin Impink, Swimming; Jessica Jacoby, Swimming; Kara Kakol, Cheerleading; Charlotte Morris, Rowing; Imran Nayeem, Tennis; Daniel Palumbo, Baseball.