University of Houston Athletics
Houston Athletics Celebrates Cougar Choice Awards
4/29/2019 6:12:00 PM | General
Senior Georgi Dolence receives Rich Stotter Champion for Life Award, Corey Davis Jr., Taylor Scaife honored as Cougars of the Year
HOUSTON – As the academic year winds down, the University of Houston Department of Athletics celebrated its best student-athletes, coaches and moments over the last year during the Cougar Choice Awards inside the Fertitta Center on Monday evening.
Hundreds of Houston student-athletes joined coaches, administrators and members of the Corbin J. Robertson Society – the highest level of giving for Cougar Pride – during the ninth annual event presented by the Houston Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
FEMALE ACADEMIC COUGAR of the YEAR
Women's Golf's Leonie Harm was chosen as the Female Academic Cougar of the Year. The senior All-American owns a 3.60 cumulative grade-point average while studying biology/biochemistry.
Harm is a three-time member of the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and is a two-time selection as a Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar in addition to being The American's two-time Player of the Year.
MALE ACADEMIC COUGAR of the YEAR
Men's Track and Field sprinter Mario Burke was named the Male Academic Cougar of the Year. The Bridgetown, Barbados, native will graduate in May with his bachelor's degree in management and was a member of the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
STAFF MEMBER of the YEAR
Financial Aid Coordinator Karma Meck was selected by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as the Staff Member of the Year. A five-year veteran of the Department, Meck provides scholarships assistance and financial counseling to Houston student-athletes in all sport programs.
COACH of the YEAR
Men's Basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson was named the Coach of the Year. In his fifth season at Houston, Sampson led the Cougars to a 33-4 overall record to set the school single-season record for wins. His Cougars also captured the first outright conference regular-season championship since 1984 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
He was named the American Athletic Conference and the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 25 Coach of the Year, each for the second straight season.
SPIRIT AWARD
Women's Track and Field junior thrower Taylor Scaife was honored with the Spirit Award for her support for all Houston sport programs throughout the year.
FEMALE ROOKIE of the YEAR
Women's Tennis star Stephanie Belovukovic was recognized as the Female Rookie of the Year. The Sydney, Australia, native posted a 15-2 record in singles play in 2018-19 and dropped only three sets throughout the regular season.
MALE ROOKIE of the YEAR
Men's Basketball freshman guard Nate Hinton was named the Make Rookie of the Year. In his first collegiate season, Hinton averaged 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while helping lead the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. He was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshmen Team for his impressive efforts.
PLAY of the YEAR
The Men's Track and Field's 4x100 relay at the 2018 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., was selected as the Play of the Year. With a time of 38.17, the team of John Lewis III, Elijah Hall, Mario Burke and Cameron Burrell captured the 2018 NCAA national championship and set collegiate, NCAA Championships, Hayward Field and school records.
BEST-DRESSED STUDENT-ATHLETES
Senior distance runner Jahnavi Schneider (Track & Field) was named the Best-Dressed Female Student-Athlete, while freshman pitcher/infielder Derrick Cherry (Baseball) was recognized as the Best-Dressed Male Student-Athlete at Monday's ceremony.
GAME of the YEAR
The Men's Basketball team's win over Ohio State to advance to the 2019 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 was chosen as the Game of the Year. Behind a game-high 21 points from senior guard Corey Davis Jr., the Cougars claimed a 74-59 win over the Buckeyes and advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1984.
KEN BAXTER AWARD
Longtime Houston Athletics supporter Marilyn Winniford received the Ken Baxter Award for her unwavering support of the Cougars. In her time as a Cougar fan, Winniford has been involved with the Hall of Honor, Tip-Off Dinner, Cougar Cookers and H-Association and has worked numerous golf tournaments, dinners and banquets.
TEAM of the YEAR
The Swimming & Diving team was named the Team of the Year. With seven individual titles and sweeping the relay events, the Cougars became the first team in league history to win three consecutive American Athletic Conference championships under Head Coach Ryan Wochomurka, Diving Coach Bob Gunter and Assistant Coach Hannah Burandt.
FEMALE COUGAR of the YEAR
Women's Track and Field junior thrower Taylor Scaife collected her second award of the night when she was named Female Cougar of the Year. The Moss Point, Miss., native finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a heave of 73 feet, 10 inches and captured the American Athletic Conference Championships earlier this month.
She won all five regular-season competitions and now owns Houston's program record in both the weight throw and the hammer throw.
MALE COUGAR of the YEAR
Men's Basketball senior guard Corey Davis Jr. was recognized as the Male Cougar of the Year. The Lafayette, La., native led the Cougars with 17.0 points per game and was an All-American Athletic Conference and NABC All-District 25 First-Team honoree after leading Houston to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 1984.
D.J. HAYDEN AWARD
Running back Mulbah Car received the D.J Hayden Award, presented to the Cougar who showed unwavering strength in the face of adversity. Born in war-torn Liberia , he lived in an immigration camp with his mother and sister while awaiting a lottery to see who would be allowed to leave the country.
After his mother's name was selected, Car and his family moved to Austin, Texas, where they established new lives and he excelled as a high school football player at Reagan High School before joining the Cougars.
RICH STOTTER CHAMPION for LIFE AWARD
Soccer Senior Georgi Dolence received the Rich Stotter Champion for Life Award.
Dolence competed in 64 matches during her career and serve as team captain for two years. She served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years and was the vice president for the American Athletic Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
She graduated with honors from UH in 2018 and will receive her master's degree in marketing this summer.
A football letterman from 1965 to 1967, Stotter was the University's first consensus All-American and received honors for his academic achievements while serving as a natural leader among his teammates.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougars on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Athletics.
Hundreds of Houston student-athletes joined coaches, administrators and members of the Corbin J. Robertson Society – the highest level of giving for Cougar Pride – during the ninth annual event presented by the Houston Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
FEMALE ACADEMIC COUGAR of the YEAR
Women's Golf's Leonie Harm was chosen as the Female Academic Cougar of the Year. The senior All-American owns a 3.60 cumulative grade-point average while studying biology/biochemistry.
Harm is a three-time member of the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and is a two-time selection as a Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar in addition to being The American's two-time Player of the Year.
MALE ACADEMIC COUGAR of the YEAR
Men's Track and Field sprinter Mario Burke was named the Male Academic Cougar of the Year. The Bridgetown, Barbados, native will graduate in May with his bachelor's degree in management and was a member of the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
STAFF MEMBER of the YEAR
Financial Aid Coordinator Karma Meck was selected by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as the Staff Member of the Year. A five-year veteran of the Department, Meck provides scholarships assistance and financial counseling to Houston student-athletes in all sport programs.
COACH of the YEAR
Men's Basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson was named the Coach of the Year. In his fifth season at Houston, Sampson led the Cougars to a 33-4 overall record to set the school single-season record for wins. His Cougars also captured the first outright conference regular-season championship since 1984 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
He was named the American Athletic Conference and the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 25 Coach of the Year, each for the second straight season.
SPIRIT AWARD
Women's Track and Field junior thrower Taylor Scaife was honored with the Spirit Award for her support for all Houston sport programs throughout the year.
FEMALE ROOKIE of the YEAR
Women's Tennis star Stephanie Belovukovic was recognized as the Female Rookie of the Year. The Sydney, Australia, native posted a 15-2 record in singles play in 2018-19 and dropped only three sets throughout the regular season.
MALE ROOKIE of the YEAR
Men's Basketball freshman guard Nate Hinton was named the Make Rookie of the Year. In his first collegiate season, Hinton averaged 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while helping lead the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. He was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshmen Team for his impressive efforts.
PLAY of the YEAR
The Men's Track and Field's 4x100 relay at the 2018 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., was selected as the Play of the Year. With a time of 38.17, the team of John Lewis III, Elijah Hall, Mario Burke and Cameron Burrell captured the 2018 NCAA national championship and set collegiate, NCAA Championships, Hayward Field and school records.
BEST-DRESSED STUDENT-ATHLETES
Senior distance runner Jahnavi Schneider (Track & Field) was named the Best-Dressed Female Student-Athlete, while freshman pitcher/infielder Derrick Cherry (Baseball) was recognized as the Best-Dressed Male Student-Athlete at Monday's ceremony.
GAME of the YEAR
The Men's Basketball team's win over Ohio State to advance to the 2019 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 was chosen as the Game of the Year. Behind a game-high 21 points from senior guard Corey Davis Jr., the Cougars claimed a 74-59 win over the Buckeyes and advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1984.
KEN BAXTER AWARD
Longtime Houston Athletics supporter Marilyn Winniford received the Ken Baxter Award for her unwavering support of the Cougars. In her time as a Cougar fan, Winniford has been involved with the Hall of Honor, Tip-Off Dinner, Cougar Cookers and H-Association and has worked numerous golf tournaments, dinners and banquets.
TEAM of the YEAR
The Swimming & Diving team was named the Team of the Year. With seven individual titles and sweeping the relay events, the Cougars became the first team in league history to win three consecutive American Athletic Conference championships under Head Coach Ryan Wochomurka, Diving Coach Bob Gunter and Assistant Coach Hannah Burandt.
FEMALE COUGAR of the YEAR
Women's Track and Field junior thrower Taylor Scaife collected her second award of the night when she was named Female Cougar of the Year. The Moss Point, Miss., native finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a heave of 73 feet, 10 inches and captured the American Athletic Conference Championships earlier this month.
She won all five regular-season competitions and now owns Houston's program record in both the weight throw and the hammer throw.
MALE COUGAR of the YEAR
Men's Basketball senior guard Corey Davis Jr. was recognized as the Male Cougar of the Year. The Lafayette, La., native led the Cougars with 17.0 points per game and was an All-American Athletic Conference and NABC All-District 25 First-Team honoree after leading Houston to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 1984.
D.J. HAYDEN AWARD
Running back Mulbah Car received the D.J Hayden Award, presented to the Cougar who showed unwavering strength in the face of adversity. Born in war-torn Liberia , he lived in an immigration camp with his mother and sister while awaiting a lottery to see who would be allowed to leave the country.
After his mother's name was selected, Car and his family moved to Austin, Texas, where they established new lives and he excelled as a high school football player at Reagan High School before joining the Cougars.
RICH STOTTER CHAMPION for LIFE AWARD
Soccer Senior Georgi Dolence received the Rich Stotter Champion for Life Award.
Dolence competed in 64 matches during her career and serve as team captain for two years. She served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years and was the vice president for the American Athletic Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
She graduated with honors from UH in 2018 and will receive her master's degree in marketing this summer.
A football letterman from 1965 to 1967, Stotter was the University's first consensus All-American and received honors for his academic achievements while serving as a natural leader among his teammates.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougars on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Athletics.
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