April 29, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Johnson C. Smith University held its annual Athletics Award Banquet last night in which Jennifer Lee, Shermaine Williams, and De'Audra Dix were all recipients of the coveted Pettis Norman Award. This award is given to the top male and female athlete for the current academic year.

 Jennifer Lee, who garnered the top honor for the third time in her four year career, is a senior sports management major. She was named All-CIAA and was president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, while also serving as a student-athletic trainer for four years. Lee, who will graduate this Sunday, will wear the coveted blue cap and gown, only worn by salutatorians. Her cumulative grade point average of 3.79 was good for second in the entire graduating class. She was also named MVP of women's tennis and will pursue her master's degree at High Point University this fall.

Shermaine Williams was named co-female athlete of the year alongside Lee. Williams joined the JCSU family in January and has been making her presence felt ever since. She broke the NCAA Division II 60 meter hurdles record with an astonishing 8.23 seconds, en route to a national championship. The St. Andrew, Jamaica native also won the 100 meter hurdles at the CIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and has automatically qualified for the upcoming NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May.

De'Audra Dix, a senior sports management major from Merritt Island, Florida claimed the top award and was also the MVP for football. Dix set numerous records and capped his stellar season with hoards of accolades. He was named CIAA Special Teams Player of the Year, All-CIAA on both offense and defense for the second consecutive year, All-Region on both offense and defense, participated in the East Coast Bowl as well as the coveted Valero Cactus Bowl, and was named an American Coaches Football Association (AFCA) All-American, becoming just the second player in JCSU history to garner such a prestigious honor.

Jason Stuckey (Men's Tennis) and Brittany Laws (Women's Tennis) received the Coca-Cola Academic Award given to the student-athletes with the highest grade point average.

Other most valuable award winners are as follows:

Men's Basketball - Jerry Hollis

Women's Basketball - Kyria Buford

Football - De'Audra Dix

Bowling - Nijah Braddox

Softball - Nicole Villarreal

Men's Tennis - Jason Stuckey

Women's Tennis - Jennifer Lee

Cheerleading - Cierra Irving

Men's Golf - Jamaal Brown

Volleyball - Anika Pimentel

Athletic Training - Jennifer Lee and Crystal Foster