April 29, 2009
Photo Gallery
CHICAGO- Academics is a core component of the student-athlete experience at UIC, and the monumental success achieved in that sector by the Flames was applauded at the 2009 Night of Champions sponsored by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at the Student Services Building on April 28.
Student-athletes, coaches, administration, staff, parents, professors and many other dignitaries gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of UIC's best and brightest both in the field of play and in the classroom.
Proving that Shannon Tully and crew know how to keep streaks alive, the women's tennis team was named the UIC Athletics Academic Team of the Year for the second consecutive season just two days after they clinched their 13th consecutive Horizon League championship and 11th straight NCAA Tournament berth.
Another perennial NCAA postseason contender within UIC Athletics' field of sports teams was also honored for outstanding classwork, as the seven-time defending Horizon League regular season champion baseball team was applauded for its collective academic success by the department and the conference.
Peter Ifft, a hurler on the baseball team, and Tim O'Brien, a member of the men's tennis team, were both named UIC's Male Athletes of the Year for the second straight year, the first time the same pair of student-athletes have won the award in consecutive years. Ifft and O'Brien also earned the prestigious Aileen S. Andrew Award for their excellence as engineering students just a few weeks before they take the stage as the UIC College of Engineering's Class of 2009 valedictorians.
Kristin Petrinec, a sophomore on the women's basketball team with a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a mathematics major, was named UIC's Female Athlete of the Year.
Student-athletes with their respective team's top grade point average were recognized, and numerous prestigious scholarships were presented to high-achieving performers.
Cameron Seebeck, a junior swimmer, was also recognized for being one of a select few around the country to attend the 2009 NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference held in late May in Orlando, Florida.
"Here at UIC, our student-athletes are students first, then they are athletes," UIC assistant athletic director for academics Sam Rush said as he concluded the wondrous evening. "Everyone here makes a concerted effort to make sure our student-athletes leave here with their degree."
2009 UIC ATHLETICS NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS AWARDS
Team Student-Athletes of the Year (Top Grade Point Averages)
Baseball - Peter Ifft
Men's Basketball - Scott VanderMeer
Women's Basketball - Kristin Petrinec
Men's Cross Country - Alex Sutphen
Women's Cross Country - Danyelle Somerfield
Men's Gymnastics - Andrew Arnold
Women's Gymnastics - Emily Fiorilli
Soccer - Andreas Laxgang
Softball - Christie Seddon
Men's Swimming & Diving - Rahul Singh
Women's Swimming & Diving - Sonia Peterson
Men's Tennis - Tim O'Brien
Women's Tennis - Ilinca Cristescu
Men's Track & Field - Erik Perez
Women's Track & Field - Kelsey Mueller
Volleyball - Katerina Hanackova
Thomas Beckham Scholarship - Mary Brennan (Women's Cross Country) and George Clauser (Men's Gymnastics)
Colvin Communication Scholarship - Brooke Frydendall (Softball)
Don Nash Scholarship - Josh Mayo (Men's Basketball)
Aileen S. Andrew Scholarship - Peter Ifft (Baseball) and Tim O'Brien (Men's Tennis)
Port Academic Scholarship - Alex Kadar (Men's Gymnastics)
Female Student-Athlete of the Year - Kristin Petrinec (Women's Basketball)
Male Student- Athlete of the Year - Peter Ifft (Baseball) and Tim O'Brien (Men's Tennis)
Academic Team of the Year - Women's Tennis
