The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

April 26, 1999

Seven Giant Steps Award winners were announced recently in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.

National Student-Athlete Day was created by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports and Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. The day was created to honor student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics, athletics and community service. Events celebrating the day took place throughout the country this month (see the March 15 issue of The NCAA News).

Several of the Giant Steps Award winners attended a private ceremony at the White House April 7.

"Having the President of the United States recognize the efforts of student-athletes shows what an amazing effect sports as a whole has made on society," said NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey. "College student-athletes have been working hard to make a difference in their communities."

The winner in the Courageous Student-Athlete Category, Female, was Pam White. White, who graduated from Adams State College, began working for Wings of America, an American Indian youth-development program, in 1994. White served as a role model for many young people in the program who may never have considered college otherwise. By her graduation, White was a six-time all-American in cross country, winning two of those titles and one national team victory after overcoming surgery for a painful case of plantar fasciitis. White currently is working toward a master's degree at Adams State.

The winner in the Courageous Student-Athlete Category, Male, was Gilbert Tuhabonye, a junior from Abilene Christian University. Tuhabonye, a native of Burundi, Africa, barely escaped a mob killing at his high school, suffering third-degree burns on his arm, leg and back. Tuhabonye is a 1998 all-American in cross country, and he placed first in the 800-meter run in the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships last year.

The winner in the Coach Category, Male, was Bert Jenkins. Now retired, Jenkins was the longtime basketball coach at Gulfport High School in Mississippi, leading his teams to seven state championships, 14 conference titles and an 876-180 career record. Jenkins achieved his accomplishments in spite of the loss of one of his legs, which had been crudely amputated by a German doctor in a POW camp during World War II.

The winner in the Coach Category, Female, was Pat Summitt, head coach of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, women's basketball team. Summitt, whose success on the court has been well-chronicled, was honored for her student-athletes' success in the classroom. In the last 25 years, every Lady Vols player who has completed her eligibility at Tennessee has either earned her degree or is in the process of completing degree requirements.

The winners in the Civic Leader Category were Lewis Katz and Raymond Chambers, two of the owners of the New Jersey Nets. The two men have used the Nets to drive a philanthropic plan to redevelop central Newark, fund scholarships and support programs for poor inner-city children.

The winner in the Athletics Administrator Category is Clarence Underwood, senior associate athletics director at Michigan State University. Underwood has worked for several decades as a counselor to student-athletes, and he is a mentor, motivational leader, accomplished author and administrator. Underwood initiated the Big 10 SCORE program (Success Comes Out of Reading Everyday) for inner-city children, and he has been an active advocate for minority and equality issues. Underwood served two years in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army before he went to Tuskegee University on a football scholarship. He later transferred to Michigan State.

Hitting home

Wilmington College (Ohio) junior Damien Garnett has been spending a lot of time on base lately.

Garnett collected 13 consecutive hits, setting an NCAA Division III record.

The rest of Garnett's game has been on top as well. In the Quakers' last six contests, he has gone 16-19 with 11 runs scored, three runs batted in, one double and four stolen bases. Before the consecutive hitting steak, Garnett was hitting .275. His average now stands at .455.

Volleyball anyone?

The National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) recently announced the pairings for the first-round matches of the State Farm Women's Volleyball Classic. The event will be held August 27-28 at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Pennsylvania State University faces the University of Florida in the first match, while Nebraska hosts the University of Pacific (California) in the second. Both matches will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes

Number crunching

Division I Baseball Midseason Trends

(Through games of April 11, 1999)

Midseason Final Midseason

1998 1998 1999

Teams 273 273 274

Average Number of Games

Played Per Team 34.3 52.4 32.7

BATTING

Batting Average .305