University of Houston Athletics
Student-Athletes Honored at Cougar Choice Awards
5/2/2018 12:00:00 AM | General
HOUSTON â€" Student-athletes and staff from the University Of Houston Department Of Athletics convened Wednesday night along with members of the Corbin J. Robertson Society, the highest level of giving for Cougar Pride, for the 2018 Cougar Choice Awards presented by and led by the Houston Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Held inside the Moores Opera Center on the UH campus, the ceremony highlighted the student-athletes' 2017-18 accomplishments and awarded several academic and athletic awards throughout the night.
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Two student-athletes received the highest athletic honors of the year as they were named the 2018 Cougars of the Year. Track & Field senior Elijah Hall and Swimming & Diving sophomore Peyton Kondis received the night's top honors after successful seasons.
Hall placed his name among the greats in Houston Athletics fame when he won NCAA individual championships in both the 60- and 200-meter dash at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Hall shattered the NCAA and American records in the 200-meter dash at the event with a winning time of 20.02.
The American champion in the 100 breaststroke and 400 medley relay, Kondis qualified for three events at the NCAA Championships, the 100 breaststroke, 200 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke after earning all-conference honors from The American in all three events and setting the Houston record in the 100 breaststroke earlier in the year.
Swimming & Diving's Mykenzie Leehy and Men's Basketball's Fabian White Jr. received the Rookie of the Year awards. Leehy helped Houston to its second straight conference title at The American Championships by securing six podium finishes at the event while White was named to the 2017-18 American All-Rookie Team after becoming the seventh freshman in school history with multiple double-doubles in a season.
Senior Brian Barraza from the Track & Field program received the Male Academic Cougar of the Year award for the second straight year, while Swimming & Diving senior Micaela Bouter was named the Female Academic Cougar of the Year.
A team captain, Bouter was named The American's 2017-18 Swimming & Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. The 11-time American Athletic Conference Diver of the Week has a 3.73 cumulative GPA and is in her final year of studies towards a degree in Biology with a minor in Medicine and Society.
Bouter is a three-time American All-Academic team honoree, a three-time CSCAA Honorable Mention Scholar All-American, an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar First-Team honoree and four-time NCAA Zone Diving Qualifier.
Named after the late great Houston football student-athlete Rich Stotter, the Rich Stotter Champions for Life Award was also bestowed upon Barazza. The El Paso, Texas, native became the first athlete in Houston history to compete in three NCAA Cross Country Championships and claimed the best finish by a Houston athlete yet at The American's Cross Country Championships when he took the silver.
Moving to the track, Barraza showed no letting up, breaking Houston's 3,000-meter steeplechase record in the first event of the season, one of six program records he now owns across indoor and outdoor Track & Field.
A three-time member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic team (2015, 2016, 2017), which requires cross country athletes to have at least a 3.25 GPA and finish within the top-25 at the NCAA Regional of Championship meet, Barraza graduated in the spring of 2017 with honors and is scheduled to graduate in December with a Master's in Sport and Fitness Administration, a program he is currently carrying a 4.0 GPA in.
Leonie Harm, a junior on the Women's Golf team, received the D.J. Hayden Courageous Cougar Award Wednesday night. An award in its fourth year, the D.J. Hayden Courageous Cougar Award is named for Houston Football letterman D.J. Hayden who suffered a near-fatal heart injury in the fall of 2012 before making a miraculous recovery and being drafted 12th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft.
After the death of her mother and halfway across the world from her native Germany, Harm returned to the course for Houston and helped lead the Cougars to their second American team title and a fourth straight NCAA Regional appearance. Named The American's Player of the Year, Harm recorded her third straight top-10 finish at The American Championships. Off the course, the Gerlingen, Germany, native was a 2017 Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar and is a two-time member of the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
One of the most spirited individuals in the entire Houston Athletics department received the Spirit Award Wednesday. Football's Dane Roy is often seen sporting red and white at a number of Athletics events and has been an online presence this year in the Cougar Sports Showdown, taking on fellow student-athletes in their respective sports.
Men's Basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson received the Head Coach of the Year Award after leading Houston to one of its best seasons since 1983-84, capped by a win in the NCAA Tournament. Named the NABC District 25 Coach of the Year and The American's Coach of the Year, Sampson led Houston to 27 wins and a perfect 15-0 home record as he became only the 14th head coach in NCAA history to lead 4+ schools to the NCAA Tournament.
For the second consecutive season, the Houston Swimming & Diving program was named Wednesday night's Team of the Year following its defense of its American Athletic Conference Championship with a combined 826 points, 23 podium finishes and nine conference championships.
Houston Men's Basketball's thrilling 67-62 win over No. 5 Cincinnati on Feb. 15 was chosen as the Game of the Year, while Rob Gray's game-winning lay-up to beat San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was chosen as the Play of the Year.
Honoring those who honor our student-athletes with their commitment to excellence, the Ken Baxter Award was given to an individual who knows what it's like to walk in the shoes of a Houston student-athlete. Tony Bruno volunteers with the Houston Football program assisting the staff and recruiting department with mail outs and other administrative tasks. A true Cougar, Bruno lives and breathes UH while bringing an amazing wit, compassion and zest for life to the Houston Football department.
Michelle Malloy, an assistant athletics trainer with Houston Football, earned the Houston Athletics Staff Member of the Year Award as voted by on Houston SAAC.
Following the presentation of all awards "H" Association President Alois Blackwell presented all graduating seniors with their letterwinner rings.
Each member in the Corbin J. Robertson Society underwrites the current cost of one full athletic scholarship. Society members have the privilege of being assigned a student-athlete and have numerous opportunities to nurture a personal relationship with that student during his or her collegiate career.
For more information on joining the Cougar Pride and becoming a member of the Corbin J. Robertson Society, please click here.
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