May 7, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Sixteen UC Santa Barbara student-athletes have been selected Golden Eagle Award winners, and two of those have been chosen as Golden Eagle Ring winners, the UCSB Intercollegiate Athletics Department announced Wednesday.

The Golden Eagle Award represents a combination of athletic and academic achievement. The Golden Eagle Ring honorees represent the male and female student-athletes with the highest grade point average among all Gaucho athletes.

The 2008 Golden Eagle Ring winners are Brittany Kausen of women's tennis, Katy Freeman of women's swimming, and Zsombor Vincze of men's water polo. Kausen, a senior bio-chemistry major from Irvine, Calif., and Freeman, a junior sociocultural linguistics major from Concord, Calif., each have a 3.64 grade point average, and Vincze, a junior business economics major from Szeged, Hungary, has a 3.85 grade point average.

"These student-athletes represent the best of UC Santa Barbara," said UCSB Athletic Director Gary Cunningham. "There is nothing that makes me more proud than all the accomplishments of our Golden Eagle Award winners."

The UCSB Golden Eagle Award winners will be honored at a May 8 banquet to be held at Fess Parker's Doubletree Hotel in Santa Barbara. The banquet is sponsored by Pacific Beverage Co.

2008 UC Santa Barbara Golden Eagle Award Winners

Matthew Barkley - Sr. - Men's Track & Field - Mathematics - 3.34 - Sunnyvale, Calif.

Anders Dalskov - Sr. - Men's Tennis - Business Economics - 3.56 - Hoersholm, Denmark

Katy Freeman* - Jr. - Women's Swimming - Sociocultural Linguistics - 3.64 - Concord, Calif.

Matt Grush - Jr. - Golf - Business Economics - 3.37 - Los Angeles, Calif.

Erika Hansen - Sr. - Softball - Business Economics - 3.59 - San Clemente, Calif.

Liza Hitchner - Jr. - Women's Cross Country - Biology - 3.57 - Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Chuck Huggins - Sr. - Baseball - Business Economics - 3.47 - Redwood City, Calif.

Brittany Kausen* - Sr. - Women's Tennis - Bio-Chemistry - 3.64 - Irvine, Calif.

Kyle Kaveny - Jr. - Men's Soccer - Mechanical Engineering - 3.37 - Cupertino, Calif.

Bradley Matsumoto - Jr. - Men's Swimming - Bio-Chemistry - 3.34 - Easton, Calif.

Bethany Nickless - Sr. - Women's Track & Field - Mathematics - 3.36 - Huntington Beach, Calif.

Jessie Steinberg - Sr. - Women's Soccer - Sociology - 3.40 - Northridge, Calif.

Leigh Stephenson - Jr. - Women's Volleyball - History - 3.40 - Nipomo, Calif.

Katherine Suderman - Jr. - Women's Basketball - Creative Studies/Literature - 3.50 - San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Matt Thobe - Jr. - Men's Volleyball - Environmental Studies - 3.49 - Westchester, Calif.

Zsombor Vincze* - Jr. - Men's Water Polo - Business Economics - 3.85 - Szeged, Hungary

*Indicates Golden Eagle Ring winner. Note: All class levels are academic levels and not athletic eligibility.