June 19, 2008 EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University's N Club held its annual Senior Recognition Banquet Thursday night at the Hotel Orrington in downtown Evanston, inducting the senior class into the N Club while honoring several Wildcats for outstanding seasons and careers at Northwestern. Following is a list of the awards bestowed at the banquet:
Northwestern's Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year Nominee Fox capped off his career by winning the 2008 NCAA heavyweight title. He survived broken headgear, an open cut on his head and a broken nose en route to winning the championship match in double overtime. Fox finished his senior year with a 29-1 record and avenged his only loss of the season by a major decision at the Big Ten Championships. He was named one of seven finalists for the Dan Hodge Trophy -- an award presented to the nation's most dominant wrestler. With a career record of 109-29, Fox finished his time at NU in the top-10 of the school's all-time wins list. Fox dominated the Big Ten and national fields en route to Big Ten and NCAA titles. The heavyweight registered two pins, two technical falls and a major decision in his nine postseason matches. To round out what is often considered the "Triple Crown of College Wrestling," Fox earned the heavyweight title at the 45th-annual Midlands Championships.
Northwestern's Big Ten Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year Nominee Nielsen led the Wildcats to their fourth-straight NCAA championship this year, netting three goals and three assists in the NCAA championship game for a total of 12 tournament goals and 10 assists. She is the NCAA record holder with 69 assists in a single season, and ranked second in the nation with 114 points. A three-time All-American, she also was tabbed the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) Player of the Year. In addition to being selected as MVP of this year's ALC championship, Nielsen won the Tewaaraton Trophy -- the top collegiate honor for a lacrosse player -- and was named the sport's Honda Award recipient. She has achieved back-to-back 100-point seasons and scored at least one point for 44 straight games. She holds the Northwestern school record as all-time assist leader (141) and is fourth in scoring with 246. The Jesse Owens and Suzy Favor awards are given annually to the outstanding male and female athletes in the Big Ten.
Big Ten Medal of Honor Recipients Roth completed his standout Wildcat career by being named the first All-American in NU men's soccer history by virtue of his second-team selection as a senior. A three-time All-Big Ten pick, including a first-team honoree each of the last two years, Roth is Northwestern's all-time leader with 32 career assists and is third with 70 total points. As a freshman, he matched the Big Ten's single-season record with 14 assists. He helped guide the Wildcats to three NCAA tournament berths during his career, including an appearance in the national quarterfinals in 2006. He was a fourth-round pick of the New York Red Bulls from the MLS, and currently is training with the club. Finch was an integral part of the Wildcats' fourth-straight national championship. A Tewaaraton Trophy finalist and first-team All-American, she led the nation in caused turnovers with 70 and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors from Inside Lacrosse magazine. Finch finished her career as Northwestern's leader in caused turnovers with 183, placing her fourth in the NCAA record books. She earned All-American Lacrosse Conference first-team honors and was named to the all-tournament team of both the ALC Championships and NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championships in 2008. The Big Ten Medal of Honor is given annually to one graduating male and female student-athlete of outstanding academic and athletic talent.
N Club Performance Awards Hupman capped her sensational career at Northwestern with a stellar senior season, earning six All-America honors and the title of Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships after capturing two conference crowns and setting three Big Ten records at the league meet in 2008. Hupman led NU to a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, its first top-20 effort in nearly a decade, and she broke five school records during the year. A current member of the U.S. National 'A' team working to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, Hupman twice represented the United States at the World University Games during her time as a Wildcat. She concluded her career as a nine-time All-American in the pool and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree in the classroom. In 2008, Hupman was named a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V selection. The N Club Performance Award is presented to one male and one female student-athlete in recognition of "spectacular and outstanding" athletic performance by a graduating senior and letter award winner.
N Club Achievement Award Bubolz concluded his career at Northwestern as a school-record holder, a four-time Big Ten champion and a national titlist. Bubolz earned a total of 19 All-America accolades over the course of his NU career, third-most in school history. He owns the Big Ten record in his signature event, the 100 butterfly, finishing fourth in the nation in the race as a junior and a senior. In 2007, he was a member of Northwestern's NCAA champion 400 medley relay, which won in an NCAA-record time that still stands today. Bubolz holds the NU record in the 100 fly and is a member of all five of NU's school-record-holding relays. In his senior year, Bubolz swam career-best times in all three of his individual events to lead Northwestern to a 12th-place NCAA finish with just a four-member squad at the national meet. Owens earned a starting role as an infielder on the Northwestern baseball team right away as a freshman and retained his regular spot in the Wildcats' lineup throughout his four seasons. Owens proved to be a consistent force, appearing in 191 career games including making 190 starts. He capped his stellar career with 256 career hits, just four shy of the Northwestern all-time record. Included in the total were a school single-season record 85 hits as a junior en route to a second-team All-Big Ten selection. Owens also ranks third in NU history with 157 runs scored and 769 at-bats. As a transfer to Northwestern, Johnston played two years between the pipes for the Wildcats and cemented her place in the NU record books. Johnston is first on NU's all-time list with four Big Ten shutouts in a season and is tied for first on the all-time list with nine total shutouts in a season. As a team captain her senior year, Johnston started all 20 games and made 81 saves. During the month of October, Johnston put together a shutout streak lasting 346:49. She was named Academic All-Big Ten in both seasons and made her impact off the field with various community service and charitable activities. The N Club Achievement Award is given to the student-athletes who have exhibited the qualities of good citizenship, significant academic achievement and outstanding athletic performance.
Billy McKinney Award A four-year starter on the Northwestern baseball team as an outfielder, Aaron Newman ranks among the Wildcats' career leaders with 199 games played and 180 starts. A stalwart near the top of the batting order, Newman is fifth all-time at NU with 149 runs scored and is among the career leaders with 55 stolen bases. He also is first in school history having been hit by a pitch 47 times in his four years to help him post a career on-base percentage near .400. The Billy McKinney Award is presented to the male student-athlete who has exhibited exemplary leadership qualities, constant (110 percent) effort, and a positive attitude that, in his coach's estimation, makes him a "coach's dream."
Lisa Ishikawa Award Conill joined the Northwestern program in 2004, developing into a doubles specialist by her junior and senior campaigns. As tennis' lone senior this year, she led by example both on and off the court. Conill went 35-6 overall in doubles in 2007-08 with six different partners. Her 17-2 dual season performance was of instrumental importance to the Wildcats' success in doubles play. Conill suffered a season-ending injury on April 13 at Minnesota, just two weeks before commencement of the Big Ten Championship. As part of the Wildcat squad, she closed out her career with a perfect 40-0 record in regular season competition against Big Ten opponents. The Lisa Ishikawa award is presented to a female student-athlete who has exhibited outstanding leadership ability and selfless dedication to team goals; Ishikawa's determination and positive attitude led her to perform above and beyond the expected.
Northwestern's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Recipients An Academic All-Big Ten recipient in both football and basketball (one year) at Northwestern, Jones was involved in a number of campus activities and was a constant contributor to the Wildcats' community service efforts. He was president of the Purple Peer Mentoring Program, which helped advise student-athletes in reaching successful academic, athletic and personal goals. He also was a regular participant in many of NU's community service activities: Misericordia Candy Days, Field Day, serving as a guest reader at Nelson Elementary School, a visitor to Children's Memorial Hospital and a speaker on sportsmanship at the Hubbard Woods School. T.J. earned NU's Carnig Minasian Citizenship Award in 2007 and he was one of four team football co-captains. Finch is involved in numerous community service activities on campus and demonstrates her leadership skills by serving as the lacrosse representative in various situations. She is a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in addition to her community service experience. She is an annual participant at Special Olympics events, interacting with athletes and providing encouragement. Each year, Christy participates in Northwestern's annual Field Day event, which benefits four Evanston youth organizations - Youth Organization Umbrella, Family Focus, Evanston Special Recreation and School for Little Children. Christy is an active leader in organizing her team to participate in the annual NU Relay for Life, which raised $136,000 last year for the American Cancer Society. Each year, she helps at Family Fest, a fundraiser event at a local preschool, helping lead activities for Evanston youth. Also, Christy has been instrumental in the development of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, helping coordinate promotions and advertising in addition to her fundraising efforts for the organization. The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of those with pediatric brain tumors and raise money for research has earned worldwide attention as the Wildcats have adopted Jaclyn Murphy, 12-year-old who was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a childhood brain cancer, as an honorary team member and inspirational center point on their way to their first of three consecutive NCAA titles. The Big Ten Sportsmanship award is given to one male and female student-athlete who displays exemplary sportsmanship and is a key contributor in the community. Northwestern also announced its 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year candidate at the event. This award recognizes individual excellence in three areas: athletics, academics and community service. Up to two graduating seniors at each institution who participated in the 2007-08 academic year will be recognized as the "NCAA Women of the Year" and will automatically be eligible for state selection. Northwestern's nominee is Hupman from women's swimming. Ben Rothrauff (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) of football and Stephanie Jurivich (LaGrange, Ill./St. Ignatius) of volleyball were honored with the Director's Award, given annually to the male and female graduating student-athlete with the highest GPA. |
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