SAN DESTIN, Fla. - The Sun Belt Conference honored the academic and athletic achievements of its schools and student-athletes on Tuesday night during the conference’s annual spring meetings in San Destin, Florida.
The University of Denver was recognized for winning the conference’s graduation rate award for the ninth consecutive year. The award goes to the school with the highest graduation rate for its student athletes. Additionally, 11 Sun Belt Conference schools were recognized for graduating its student athletes at a rate higher than its general student body.
The Sun Belt Conference also recognized the significant accomplishments of six athletes at its annual Tuesday evening Honors Banquet. The conference announced FIU’s Yarimar Rosa and WKU’s Orlando Mendez-Valdez as the Sun Belt Student-Athletes of the Year, FIU’s Paul McCall and MT’s Sarah Beth Lee as Sporting Behavior Award winners, and DU’s Benny Althaus (Saarbrucken, Germany) and MT’s Brandi Brown as winners of the Postgraduate Scholarship Awards (biographies of the six athletes are below).
The 2008-09 Vic Bubas Cup, given to the school gaining the most cumulative points in the league’s 19 sponsored sports, was presented to Middle Tennessee State University. The Blue Raider program won Sun Belt Conference titles in women’s basketball, men’s golf, and men’s tennis. MT had previously won the Bubas Cup in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007, and joins South Alabama, South Florida, and Western Kentucky University as the only schools to win the Bubas Cup Five or more times. They have also won the Bubas Cup more times than any other school since they joined the league in 2000.
ULM head women’s basketball coach Mona Martin also was recognized for winning her 250th career game this past season. MT’s head men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis was recognized for winning his 150th career game.
The Sun Belt Conference’s annual meetings include the senior staff of the conference office along with each member school’s Chief Executive Officer, Faculty Athletic Representative, Athletic Director, Senior Woman Administrator, Head Football Coach, Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Head Women’s Basketball Coach.
STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD WINNERS
The Post-Graduate Scholarship Award is given in recognition of superior academic achievement. The winners receive a check for two thousand dollars for use toward their future education.
Mr. Benny Althaus, Male Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient, Denver, Tennis
With a 3.94 cumulative GPA at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, Benny Althaus is on his way to being a successful financial analyst and businessmen.
Mr. Althaus has previously been honored as the Sun Belt Conference’s Tennis Player of the Week and as the University of Denver’s Athlete of the Week. Along with these athletic accomplishments, Mr. Althaus was named to the University of Denver Joint Dean’s List and Hornbeck Scholars List in the Winter of 2009, Spring of 2008, Fall of 2007, and Spring of 2007. Additionally, he was named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List for 2006-07.
Mr. Althaus will begin his professional career after graduation at Macquarie Capital, Inc., a full-service investment bank located in New York City, as a financial analyst. He has previously served as an intern in the investment banking, commercial banking, and market research fields.
Ms. Brandi Brown, Female Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient, Middle Tennessee, Basketball
Brandi Brown has been a key player on the Middle Tennessee women’s basketball program since arriving as a highly touted freshman. Ms. Brown has excelled on the court, but has also put up an incredible number in the classroom with a 3.981 cumulative GPA.
A member of the 2007 and 2009 Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Champions, the Jamestown, Tennessee native will receive her degree with honors this May as a junior. She has majored in Accounting and minored in Business Administration.
Ms. Brown has been a recipient of the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List award, was a two-time CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honoree, and a member of the Dean’s List. She also qualified for membership in the Chi Alpha Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Societies.
On the court, Ms. Brown was an All-Sun Belt Conference selection this year and was a member of the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball All-Tournament Team. During the 2008-09 season she averaged 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
Ms. Brown will begin graduate school at Middle Tennessee in June as she pursues her MBA.
The Sporting Behavior Award is based on outstanding leadership and achievement in the classroom, on the field of play and in the community.
Ms. Sarah Beth Lee, Female Sporting Behavior Award, Middle Tennessee, Soccer
As the Vice President of the Middle Tennessee Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the team captain of the Blue Raider soccer team and 4.0 History major, Ms. Sarah Beth Lee personifies what a successful student-athlete is.
Ms. Lee has been a recipient of the Raider Award and an honoree on the Sun Belt Conference’s Commissioner’s List. Additionally she was selected to the Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Alpha Theta, and Tennessee Beta Chapter of the National College Athlete Honor Societies.
Ms. Lee has made a point to get involved in community service efforts on a number of occasions. She has taken mission trips to both Bolivia and Mexico and recently volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army in North Carolina.
She has also been selected to attend the NCAA Leadership Conference this May and has previously been honored with the Drs. David and Lorraine Singer Scholarship and the Ernest Hooper Scholarship for History.
Mr. Paul McCall, Male Sporting Behavior Award, FIU, Football
As the starting quarterback for the FIU football team Mr. Paul McCall led the resurgent Golden Panthers and set school records for passing touchdowns in a season and passing yards in a game. The honors and records don’t stop there though for the Hollywood, Florida native.
Mr. McCall has been named to the Dean’s List on multiple occasions and was a the recipient of the Bruce Allen Frieburger Memorial Engineering Scholarship.
Mr. McCall’s on campus leadership activities include being a member of the FIU Order of the Torch, Phi Gamma Delta, Order of Omega, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Order of the Engineer, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, and Eta Kappa Nu Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society.
With a 3.556 GPA in Electrical Engineering, McCall specializes in bio-engineering, communications, and power systems.
The highest honor given by the Sun Belt Conference is the Student-Athlete of the Year Award, which is based on outstanding leadership, achievement and character.
Ms. Yarimar Rosa, Female Student-Athlete of the Year, FIU, Volleyball
Ms. Yarimar Rosa has been one of the most decorated student-athletes in the Sun Belt Conference over the last several years and will unquestionably go down as one of league’s all-time volleyball greats.
She has recently been honored as the 2007 and 2008 FIU Athletics Student-Athlete of the Year, the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, was the NCAA national leader in kills per set, is a three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American and All-District, and she set the record for career Sun Belt Volleyball Player of the Week honors with nine total honors.
As an International Business and Finance major she has balanced her time extraordinarily well as she currently carries a 3.3 cumulative GPA. Ms. Rosa also is unselfish with her time as she volunteers many hours doing community service work at volleyball clinics, elementary schools, and campus initiatives such as Relay for Life and Take Back the Night. She has also competed on the international level as she has spent time as a member of the Puerto Rican National Volleyball Team.
The name Yarimar Rosa means “treasure of the sea” and Ms. Rosa has certainly been a treasure for FIU and the Sun Belt Conference.
Mr. Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Male Student-Athlete of the Year, Western Kentucky University, Basketball
One of the most storied basketball programs in NCAA history added to its legacy this season when Mr. Orlando Mendez-Valdez emerged as a team leader for WKU, became Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, and led the Hilltoppers to the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
His Head Coach Ken McDonald described Mr. Mendez-Valdez as “the heart and soul of the team.” Indeed, his leadership brought WKU to new heights in a program accustomed to winning. Mr. Mendez-Valdez was named an Associated Press All-American this past season, becoming the 36th Hilltopper to earn that recognition.
Additionally, Mr. Mendez-Valdez was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt Conference, National Basketball Coaches Association First Team All-District, and he was a member of the 2009 Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament team.
Mr. Mendez-Valdez served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at WKU.
