April 29, 2008
Pocatello, ID -- Jon Winn, a tight end on the football team has been named ISU's male Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete, and Lois Ricardi a distance runner who competed in cross country and track has been named ISU's female Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete, heading the list of honorees at the 56th Annual Sam Bennion Athletic Awards Banquet, held at the Holiday Inn in Pocatello.
The Sam Bennion Athletic Awards Banquet was once again sponsored by the Bennion family in honor of longtime ISU booster Sam Bennion. Bennion had attended the first 53 Banquets before passing away nearly three years ago. In all, 37 individual awards were given out to student-athletes for Idaho State's 16 varsity sports, plus Spirit Squad and strength and conditioning awards.
Winn, from Pocatello, Idaho, missed the 2007 season with a leg injury. He currently has a 3.949 grade point average in political Science, and he was Idaho State's recipient of the Babe Caccia Award at the Southern Idaho chapter of the National Football Foundation. Ricardi, from Gardiner, Montana, also was named Outstanding Women's Track Athlete at the Bennion Awards Banquet. She owns a 3.874 grade point average and is majoring in Mass Communications.
The following are brief capsules on the 2007-08 Bennion Award winners:
Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete Awards
Men's Scholar-Athlete: Jon Winn, Football (Pocatello, Idaho) 3.949 in Political Science
Women's Scholar-Athlete: Lois Ricardi, Track/Cross Country (Gardiner, Montana) 3.874 in Mass Communications
Cheerleading
Newcomer of the Year: Skylar Parker (Montpelier, Idaho) A sophomore, Skylar is in his first year with the team. He played basketball in high school, and actually played in the 5th District All-Star Game. Skyler also spends his summers fighting forest fires. He is majoring as a dental lab technician.
Cheerleader of the Year: Liz Belliston (Burley, Idaho) A four-year member of the squad, Belliston was the captain of the 2007-08 squad after serving as a co-captain the year before. She was a member of the 2006 team that finished second at the USA competition in Las Vegas. She is majoring in health care administration.
Strength & Conditioning
Men's Lifter of the Year: Eddie Thompson (Sacramento, California) A junior on the football team, Thompson was the teams' leading receiver with 83 catches and 907 yards and was an honorable mention All-America selection. In the 103 seasons of Idaho State football, Eddie's 83 catches is the second-most ever, behind former NFL great Ed "The Flea" Bell's 96 catches in 1969.
Women's Lifter of the Year: Megan Miller (Vancouver, Washington) A sophomore playing her first season for ISU after transferring from the University of Kentucky, Miller led the Bengals in hitting, batting .345, and she is ranked fourth among all independents in batting average.
Men's Basketball
Bengal Pride: Logan Kinghorn (Rigby, Idaho) Kinghorn was Idaho State's leading rebounder, an amazing feat for a 6-5 power forward, the league's smallest. Kinghorn had four double-double on the season, including a 17-point, 10-rebound effort in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals in a 67-65 win over Montana. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Sky, and he has earned a prestigious Presidential Scholarship and will be working with the Bengal Foundation next year.
Most Improved Player: Donnie Carson (Detroit, Michigan) Carson went from a bench player to starter to a main scoring threat, and he did it not just over the course of a season, but seemingly overnight. Over the first 12 games of the season, Carson scored a grand total of 14 points. He then set a career-high for points four times over the next six games, including hitting the winning basket with 3.6 seconds left at Montana. He finished the season with 10 double-figure scoring games over his last 18, and if you take out the two games he played with the an illness, he ended the season averaging 10.7 points after averaging 1.2 in the first half of the season.
Co-Most Valuable Players: Matt Stucki (Pocatello, Idaho) Stucki was Idaho State's leading scorer, averaging 11.9 points per game, and he twice set a career-high with 26 points in a game. He took a charge with 0.9 seconds left to preserve a two-point win over Northern Arizona, a play that made ESPN's College Basketball Game Night top plays. He also led the team with 110 assists, and in free throw percentage at 74.4%. Matt was a Second Team All-Conference pick, and he was named to the ESPN The Magazine District VIII First Team All-Academic, just one of five players from all the Division I schools in Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Matt won the team's Academic Award last year.
Amorrow Morgan (Memphis, Tennessee) Morgan came into own in 2007-08, averaging 9.7 points, second-best on the team. He had 90 assists, and he shot 45% from the field. Morgan was also one of ISU's top defenders, and he earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors as a point guard, despite that not being his natural position.
Women's Basketball
Most Improved Player: Jenna Brown (West Linn, Oregon) Brown, who missed a big part of last season with an ACL tear, rebounded back to be one of only three players on the team to start all 30 games. Brown averaged 6.8 points per game, and she led the team with 114 assists, and her .875 free throw percentage was second on the team. She hit 29 three pointers for the season, and she even recorded her first two blocked shots of her career.
Best Defensive Player: Devin Diehl (Casper, Wyoming) Diehl was a multi-positional player for the Bengals, excelling as a guard and as a forward. Deihl recorded 18 steals and 10 blocks, and routinely was charged with defending the leading scorer for ISU's opponent. For good measure, she was fourth on the Bengal squad in scoring as well.
Most Valuable Player: Natalie Doma (Victoria, British Columbia) Doma, a two-time winner of this award, became the first Big Sky or Idaho State women's basketball player to be a finalist for a National Player of the Year Award, being named a finalist for both the Wooden Award and the State Farm Wade Trophy. Doma became the all-time leading scorer and rebounder for both Idaho State and the Big Sky Conference, and all told she holds over 25 Idaho State and Big Sky Conference records. She finished second in the nation in scoring and rebounding last year, and she was the 2008 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year. She is currently a member of the Seattle Storm of the WNBA.
Men's Cross Country
Outstanding Performer: Saheed Kahn (Toronto, Canada) Kahn was ISU's top runner, finishing 25th at the NCAA Mountain Regionals. Saheed finished eighth at the Big Sky Conference championship meet, earning All-Big Sky honors. He was ISU's top finisher in every race this year, including five top 10 finishes.
Women's Cross Country
Outstanding Performer: Gemma Maini (Tyabb, Australia) Maini was ISU's top runner, finishing eighth at the Big Sky Conference championship meet, earning All-Big Sky honors. She was ISU's top finisher in nearly every race this year, including five top 10 finishes on the year.
Football
Outstanding Newcomer: Russell Hill (Boise, Idaho) Hill had one of the greatest seasons in ISU history for a freshman quarterback. His 2,313 passing yards and hit 199.2 yards per game average for total offense were third all-time among all freshman quarterbacks at Idaho State, and his quarterback rating of 128.8 was second for ISU freshmen, and ninth all-time. Over his final three games, he threw for 935 yards, including a career-best 376 yards against Sacramento State, 19th-most in school history. He is the second straight quarterback to win this award.
Outstanding Offensive Player: Josh Barnett (Riverside, California) A two-time winner of this award, Barnett became the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,412 yards. He also set ISU career records for carries with 677, and with 100-yard games, with 15. Last year Barnett rushed for 1,022 yards, just the sixth-1,000-yard season in ISU history, and he became the first Bengal to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. He also is the first Bengal to ever lead the team in rushing four consecutive seasons.
Outstanding Defensive Player: Ryan Phipps (Corona, California) Phipps was ISU's defensive captain, and he led the team in tackles with 116. He also led the team in tackles for loss with 11 ½, and he was second on the team in sacks with four. He forced a pair of fumbles, and he recorded an interception as well. He is the third straight middle linebacker to win this award.
Outstanding Special Teams Player: Clint Knickrehm (Pocatello, Idaho) Knickrehm is a two-time winner of this award. Known for his bone-jarring hits, Clint recorded six tackles on special teams, and he helped ISU's kickoff team return two kickoffs for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks with key blocks. Before those touchdowns in a seven day span, ISU went over 10 years without a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Most Valuable Player: Josh Barnett (Riverside, California) Barnett is the first offensive player to win the team MVP Award since 2002, and he is the first running back to win the award since 1999, when his current position coach Nick Whitworth was named team MVP.
Men's Golf
Most Improved: Nick Morrison (Payette, Idaho) Morrison, a freshman, averaged 81.6 per round for the Bengals, as he played in five events for the Bengals. His best round was a two-over 74 at the final event of the season, the Cougar Classic.
Player of the Year: Kyle Prolo (Benicia, California) Prolo, who won this award last year as a freshman, ends his ISU career as the program's all-time leader in scoring average, with a 74.22 mark. His 74.14 average this past year was the second-best season in school history, and he was named First Team All-America Sky Conference. Over his career, he had 17 rounds of par or better and seven top 10 finishes, both second in school history.
Women's Golf
Most Improved: Alysia Hall (Meridian, Idaho) Hall, a junior, lowered her average by nearly two shots from last year to this season, and she was fourth on the team in scoring average. She recorded her first top 20 finish at the WSU Triangular, and she has three career top 10 finishes.
Player of the Year: Hannah Venn (Twin Falls, Idaho) Venn, a two-time winner of this award, led the Bengals in scoring with an 83.1 average, and she was ISU's top finisher at the Big Sky Conference championships, finishing 18th, giving her a second top-20 finish of the season. She also finished in the top 20 at the Cal Poly Invitational, where her 151 over two rounds is the fifth-lowest 36-hole score in school history.
Women's Soccer
Rookie of the Year: Lauren Hough (Coto de Caza, California) Hough ended up starting 14 games for the Bengals as a defender, and she helped Idaho State lead the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense and goals against. Hough also contributed a goal and an assist on the year, both of those coming in a 5-2 win over Boise State, and they were within 1:58 of each other. Hough was an Honorable Mention All-Big Sky selection.
Most Improved Player: Jana Boehler (Provo, Utah) Boehler, a sophomore who redshirted last year with an illness and had just one point as a sophomore, led the Bengals in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points, tying for the seventh-most in school history. Boehler led the team with three game-winning goals, and those came against Idaho, San Jose State, and Southern Utah.
Most Valuable Player: Maren Eves (Sandy, Utah) The second straight keeper to win this award, Eves broke the school record for goals against average in her only season as a starter, allowing just 0.78 goals per game, and her 1,738 minutes played is second all-time. Eves also broke the school's career goals against average record as well at 0.98 per game. Eves also has seven career shutouts. She was named Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Conference, and she was granted a fifth-year of eligibility by the NCAA, giving her a second senior season in 2008.
Women's Softball
Defensive Player of the Year: Whitney Chaffe (Lake Havasu, Arizona) Chaffe started every game but two at catcher for the Bengals, and she recorded 15 assists from behind the plate. She threw out nine runners attempting to steal on the year, and her 114 putouts were second on the team. She survived a collision at the plate against the College of Idaho in the bottom of the ninth inning to tag out the potential winning run at the plate.
Offensive Player of the Year: Megan Miller (Vancouver, Washington) Miller, just a sophomore, led the team in hitting with a .345 average, and she ranks fourth among all independents in batting. She recorded a team best six doubles on the year, as she was a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen bases for the season. She also recorded a pair of outfield assists, and she was one of two players to start and play in all 34 games for the Bengals.
Men's Tennis
Player of the Year: Marc Pijoan (Barcelona, Spain) Although the men's tennis team went just 2-14 this year, Marc Pijoan was nearly unstoppable, going 11-5 at the #1 singles position for ISU, ending the season on a three-match winning streak. Pijoan was also 5-7 at #1 doubles, and in singles, he ended the season by winning eight of his last 10 sets. He is responsible for 39.2% of all of ISU's singles victories this season and 49.5% for both doubles and singles victories. (Pijoan also captured 56.8% of the games he competed in this year.)
Women's Tennis
Player of the Year: Valerie Espinosa (Panama City, Panama) Espinosa, who won this award her freshman year, went 5-4 for the Bengals, going 5-2 at the #5 singles flight after missing the first five dual matches due to a neck injury. She also turned in a 4-4 record in doubles, playing in all three positions. Valerie was responsible for 29.4% of all of ISU's singles victories this season and 34.6% for both doubles and singles victories.
Men's Track & Field
Outstanding Field Athlete: Brad Silvester (Twin Falls, Idaho) Silvester came from behind to win the 2008 Big Sky Conference Indoor Pentathlon title with 5,073 points, winning the title by just 11 points. Brad won both the 60m hurdles and the shot put, and finished second in the pole vault in helping him to the title.
Outstanding Track Athlete: Sergio Jones (Beaverton, Oregon) Jones had a solid performance at the 2008 Indoor Conference Championships, finishing fourth in the 60-meter, and then earning All-Conference honors in the 200 and the long jump, finishing third in both events. In his first year as a Bengal he has already earned a top-ten record for school history in the 100-meter dash during the outdoor season.
Most Valuable Athlete: Saheed Khan (Toronto, Canada) Khan was all over the 2008 Indoor Championships, scoring in four events. He helped ISU finish 6th in the 4x400-meter relay, but he earned silver medals in both the mile run and the 800-meter. Khan also ran the first leg of the distance medley relay, giving ISU a lead it would never relinquish on the way to the gold medal.
Women's Track & Field
Outstanding Field Athlete: Sydney Wendt (Idaho Falls, Idaho) Sydney finished second in the 2008 Indoor Championships in the pentathlon, and her score of 3,709 points ranks her in ISU's top 10 marks. Sydney also finished second in the championships in the high jump, tying for first but losing out on misses, and she also scored points for the Bengals in the triple jump finishing sixth.
Outstanding Track Athlete: Lois Ricardi (Gardiner, Montana) Ricardi finished sixth at the indoor championships in the 3,000-meter, and she ran the anchor leg of ISU's silver medal winning distance medley relay team. Indoors, Lois owns the school record for the steeplechase and outdoors, she owns the second-best steeplechase time in school history. She has also qualified for the NCAA Regional meet.
Most Valuable Athlete: Cassie Merkley (Leavenworth, Washington) A two-time winner of this event, Merkley won three gold medals in the 2008 Indoor Championships, winning the pentathlon, the high jump, and the 60-meter hurdles. In outdoors, she has already qualified for NCAA nationals in the heptathlon and has qualified for the NCAA regional meet in the high jump. Merkley has hit the NCAA qualifying mark six times this season already and holds five school records in the 55-meter hurdles indoor, 60-meter hurdles indoor, 100-meter hurdles outdoor, pentathlon indoor and heptathlon outdoor.
Women's Volleyball
Leadership Award: Kolay Mickelsen (Pocatello, Idaho) Mickelsen played in 26 of 29 matches for the Bengals, and she started nine. Kolay recorded 78 kills on the year, and she also recorded 40 digs and 17 blocks. Mickelsen played in 57 games this year after just 15 last year, and by the end of the season turned into one of ISU's on-court leaders. She recorded a career-best 12 kills against Utah Valley.
Most Improved: Britta Bartschi (St. Anthony, Idaho) Bartschi played in 23 matches and 62 games with 12 starts, becoming a starter midway through the season. Bartschi despite only playing half the season was fifth in kills with 156, and he kills per game mark of 2.52 was second on the team. She recorded a career-best 18 kills against Eastern Washington.
Most Valuable Player: Katie Edgson (Bountiful, Utah) Edgson led the Bengals in defense last year, recording 426 digs in the seaso, and her 21 aces were third-most on the team. The Bengal captain also became just the 10th player in school history to record her 1,000th career dig. Her 29 digs against Fresno State tied for the eighth-most in school history.
