Pepperdine garners first Division I-AAA all-sports trophy

After notching an NCAA national championship in men's volleyball and collecting top 10 finishes in women's golf, and men's tennis, Pepperdine University captured the inaugural Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association All-Sports Trophy as the top-ranked Division I-AAA institution in this year's Sports Academy Directors' Cup.

Along with the Waves' men's volleyball national championship, the women's golf and men's tennis teams ended their seasons at fourth and fifth, respectively. Baseball and women's tennis finished 17th, and men's golf and women's soccer completed their campaigns at 31st and 33rd, respectively, to earn points toward the newly established honor.

The University of Denver, which collected national championships in skiing and men's ice hockey and scored points in women's gymnastics and men's and women's golf, was second.

"This award identifies the best all-around sports program in Division I-AAA and I am delighted to award it to Pepperdine," said Cheryl Levick, 2004-05 Division I-AAA president and director of athletics at Saint Louis University. "They have been so successful in multiple sports this year and are very deserving of this award. I congratulate their athletics administrators, coaches and student-athletes for a great performance this year."

The Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association is entering its fifth year and is administered by National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, which also oversees the Sports Academy Directors' Cup program that honors the all-sports champion in each of the NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA.

Texas-Tyler coach plans more ironing this fall

University of Texas at Tyler head cross country coach Bob Hepler thought his days as an Ironman Triathlon competitor were over after a March 2004 accident that resulted in his right hamstring completely detaching from the bone.

In fact, the doctor who performed the surgery to repair Hepler's damaged hamstring said the coach would be lucky to walk without a limp, let alone run. Hepler, it seems, couldn't resist the challenge and used it as motivation.

Last month, Hepler earned his seventh invitation to compete in the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, after finishing second in the 40-44 age group at the Buffalo Springs Half Ironman Triathlon in Lubbock, Texas. The winner of more than 40 triathlons, Hepler completed the course,which consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56.2-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run, in just over four hours.

More than 100,000 athletes from all over the world compete annually for one of the 1,500 slots available in the World Ironman Triathlon. The race, which is scheduled for October 15, requires competitors to swim 2.4 miles, run a full marathon (26.2 miles) and bike 112 miles.

Hepler, a seven-time member of the Amateur U.S. National Triathlon Team, most recently competed at the world event in 2002.

'Granny' golfer leaves younger field behind

Teammates of 33-year-old Northern Kentucky University women's golfer Kim Keyer-Scott nicknamed her "Granny." However, Keyer-Scott, a recent recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, doesn't appear headed for a rocking chair anytime soon.

Over the course of her four years at Northern Kentucky, Keyer-Scott has collected 11 tournament wins, 21 top-10 finishes and four national championship appearances, three as an individual and one as part of the team. She was chosen as the Great Lakes Valley Conference freshman of the year in 2001 as well as the Softspikes National Freshman of the Year. A two-time GLVC player of the year and three-time National Golf Coaches Association all-American, Keyer-Scott's accomplishments on the greens are even more impressive considering she only seriously took up the game only 10 years ago.

The product of a difficult home life growing up, Keyer-Scott is the only student-athlete the university has admitted with a GED, which she earned in 1987 at the suggestion of her supervisor to gain a raise in pay. The criminal justice major and psychology minor is a two-time Academic All-American and was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District IV academic team. She also was a four-time all-GLVC academic selection.

Keyer-Scott plans to pursue graduate study in community counseling at Northern Kentucky. She hopes to work within the juvenile justice system with an emphasis on developing alternatives to incarceration for juveniles.

A total of 172 NCAA postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each are awarded annually.

-- Compiled by Leilana McKindra