Contact: Shawn Sell
5/13/2005
|
|
CINCINNATI, Ohio--University of Cincinnati seniors Chris Smith and Julie DuPont have been selected as the top graduating student-athletes and will be honored for their accomplishments with presentation of the Jimmy Nippert and Helen Norman Smith awards this weekend.
The duo will be honored at the All University Awards Ceremony on Sunday (May 15) at Fifth Third Arena. The program begins at 4 p.m.
Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton), a member of the Bearcat track and field team, will be bestowed the Jimmy Nippert Award as the top graduating male scholar-athlete in the department. Specializing in the pole vault during his career, Smith has twice qualified for regionals in the event and was the 2002 Conference USA champion. This season, he has earned C-USA Athlete of the Week honors once. Smith, whose personal-best vault of 17’6-1/2” ranks second in UC history, will compete at the NCAA Mid-East Regionals later this month.
Off the track, Smith is a secondary education major with an emphasis in social studies. He has been a member of both the Topcat and Bearcat Honor Rolls during his career and has also been named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
DuPont (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) made her mark as the first-ever All-American from the Bearcat volleyball program. She will receive the Helen Norman Smith Award as the top graduating female student-athlete. During her career, DuPont rewrote the UC record book and twice was named C-USA’s Player of the Year. She holds the school record for kills in both a season and a career and is listed in the top-10 of numerous other season and career lists. DuPont helped the Bearcats to a conference championship in 2003 and NCAA Tournament appearances in three of her four seasons.
She also starred academically, being named an Academic All-American three times, including a first team choice from CoSIDA in 2004. DuPont is also a member of UC’s prestigious Legion of Excellence for her academic achievements.
The Jimmy Nippert and Helen Norman Smith Awards are presented to the top graduating senior male and female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves by academic achievement, athletic accomplishment and service to the campus community.
The other finalists for the Jimmy Nippert Awards were Jim Olds of the baseball team and a native of Lafayette, Ind. and Andre Frazier, a defensive end on the football from Cincinnati.
The Helen Norman Smith finalists included tennis player Samantha Liu of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, Jo Young, a thrower on the track and field team from London, Ohio and women’s soccer player Lisa Stephens, a native of Union, Mo.