Northwestern University Athletics
NU Names 2002-03 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Winners
6/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | General
June 12, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University has announced the winners of the 2002-03 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. This is the first year the conference has presented the honor, which recognizes one member of each varsity team at every Big Ten school (the athletes are selected by their coaches). From that group, each school nominates one male and one female to represent the school in a conference-wide vote for the top Sportsman and Sportswoman in the Big Ten, which will be announced June 17.
The nominees were chosen based on their sportsmanship, as specified by the Big Ten: "one who observes the rules and intent of his/her sports rules at all times. He/she must be fair and respectful to his/her opponent. In addition, he/she is enthusiastic about the game, enjoys playing it, and-win or lose-does his/her absolute best at all times." The nominee should also be active in the community, both on and off campus.
Northwestern's male nominee for the conference award is Josh Axler (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) from men's tennis. Playing a sport where sportsmanship is held in the highest esteem, Axler is -- according to longtime NU tennis coach Paul Torricelli -- noted among players and coaches throughout the Big Ten for his demeanor and gentlemanly manner on the court.
"Other coaches would often comment to me that he is the kind of kid they would like to have on their team," said Torricelli. "Our team won the first ITA Team Sportsmanship Award in February, and I know that Josh's on-court demeanor had a lot to do with that."
The Wildcats' female nominee is Kelli Meyer (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) from women's volleyball. A four-year starter, Meyer helped the team to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1984, and she is the first player in NU history to record 600 kills, 500 digs and 2,000 assists in her career. Off the court, Meyer has been heavily involved in numerous community projects, and has been a major asset to the athletic department as an academic advisor intern.
"Kelli is a model of what the student-athlete at Northwestern is about," said her coach, Keylor Chan. "She helped her team to a top-half finish in the Big Ten and an NCAA Tournament berth, all the while achieving great success in the classroom and in her field of interest."
Northwestern's other honorees at the institutional level are listed below.
Baseball: Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel)
Men's Basketball: Jitim Young (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech)
Women's Basketball: Emily Butler (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove)
Women's Cross Country: Emily Blakeslee (Rockford, Mich./Rockford)
Women's Fencing: Julia F?ldi (Budapest, Hungary/Szent Istavan Gimnazium)
Field Hockey: Kendra Mesa (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand)
Football: Vincent Cartaya (Miami, Fla./Belen Jesuit)
Men's Golf: Bjorn Widerstedt (Vasteras, Sweden/Carlforsska Gymnasiet)
Women's Golf: Elizabeth Burden (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest)
Women's Lacrosse: Courtney Koester (Richmond, Ind./Richmond)
Men's Soccer: Jeremy Cook (Hudson, Wis./Hudson)
Women's Soccer: Ashleigh Garmon (Oxnard, Calif./Buena)
Softball: Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill)
Men's Swimming: Mike Oxman (Mequon, Wis./Homestead)
Women's Swimming: Erica Rose (Cleveland, Ohio/Hawken School)
Women's Tennis: Stacy Kokx (West Bloomfield, Mich./Marian)
Wrestling: John Giacche (Flemington, N.J./Blair Academy)
