For Immediate Release

eureka, illinois

May 6, 2008

Spring Sports Award Winners Announced at Banquet

Eureka College spring sport coaches Nick Birkey (golf), Jacob Beard (men's tennis), Jane Austin (women's tennis) and Jimmy Duke (track & field) announced their team awards at the E-Tribe Individual Spring Sports Awards Banquet.

The Red Devils golf team carded the second lowest final round at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship to gain two spots on the final day for a fourth place finish at the 54-hole event.  Juniors Dan Cameron (Byron, Ill./HS) and Brady Wildenradt (Delavan, Ill./HS) were named Co-Players of the Year.  Cameron posted the low round for Eureka twice during the season including the first 18 of the SLIAC Tournament en route to a 15th place finish.  Wildenradt had the second lowest average score on the team (85.6) and led the Red Devils with an 84 at the season opening event hosted by Union College (KY).  Junior transfer Matt Morse (Magnolia, Ill./Fieldcrest), who lead EC with an 83.8 stroke average on the season, was named Best Newcomer.  Morse recorded a final round 77 at the SLIAC Tournament to finish in 12th place, missing the All-Conference team by one shot.  Freshman T.J. Schopp (LeRoy, Ill./HS) received the team's Most Improved Award.  Schopp carded the team's low score in three rounds during the season and led the team with a 39th place finish at the DuHawk Invitational.

For the third consecutive year, Aaron Rapp (Normal, Ill./West) and Patrick Howard (Peoria, Ill./HS) shared the Eureka men's tennis highest award as both were named Co-Players of the Year.  Rapp played all of his matches this season in the No. 1 slot, recording a 5-6 overall singles record and 4-2 record versus SLIAC opponents in the regular season.  Howard led the team with a 6-4 singles mark playing in the No. 2 position.  The duo also formed Eureka's top doubles unit, recording four victories to bring their combined total to 63 wins in their EC careers.  The Best Newcomer Award was handed to Gordon Barkley (Peoria Heights, Ill./HS).  He played in the No. 3 position all season despite being a first-year player and won in singles play at the SLIAC Championship over an opponent from Fontbonne he had lost to earlier in the season. Elby Cox (Morton, Ill./HS) was named the team's Most Improved player.  One of four first-year players on the squad, Cox earned his first singles and doubles wins helping the Red Devils defeat Fontbonne 8-1 on March 28.

Natalie Wetterauer (Washington, Ill./HS), a first-year member of the Eureka women's tennis team, earned MVP honors after leading the squad with seven singles triumphs and 12 wins overall.  She had a 6-3 record in No. 3 singles play, and won two out of three matches as EC took sixth at the SLIAC Championship.  Wetterauer and Ebony Thomas (Peoria, Ill./Manual) formed the doubles team with the most wins, posting a 4-3 mark.  Sophomore Laura Fandel (Pekin, Ill./HS) posted the best singles record on the team at 6-2 and earned the Best Newcomer Award.  Fandel won her final six matches of the season, including three at the SLIAC Championship.  Junior Shenise Townsend (Peoria, Ill./Manual) received Most Improved honors following her third season of competition.  She helped EC advance in the SLIAC Tournament with a No. 3 doubles win versus Blackburn.

In the women's track and field awards, Kim Downs (Kewanee, Ill./HS), took home MVP accolades for the third consecutive year in addition to her first Most Improved Award.  Downs took first place in the high jump twice and the javelin once this spring.  Her toss of 112' in the javelin in the final meet of the year not only was good for first place, but also improved almost 20 feet on her previous season best.  Downs holds Eureka school records in the triple jump, pole vault and heptathlon.  Mary Ackerman (Morton, Ill./HS) was named the team's Best Newcomer.  Also an EC cross country runner, she led EC in the distance events, with a season best time of 5:44.24 in the 1500.

Senior Wayne O'Harrow (Crete, Ill./Bloom Trail) won his second straight men's track and field MVP Award.  He competed in six different events during the season, earning two fourth place and a second place finish along the way.  Jordan Vignoni (Lancaster, Calif./Quartz Hill) received the Most Improved Award.  He was the leading thrower for the Red Devils this year, gaining 25 feet on his best javelin effort during the season.  Justin Douglas (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff) was the team's Best Newcomer.  He improved nearly two feet on his best long jump over the course of the year's competition.

Eureka College athletic banquets are sponsored by the EC athletic department in conjunction with
E-Tribe.  Each year, there are banquets for fall, winter and spring sports.  The next scheduled banquet is the Softball Team Banquet, Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 pm.

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For More Information Contact:

Brian Sullivan
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bsullivan@eureka.edu