National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - News and FeaturesJanuary 6, 1997 Heisman winner, champions featured in Today's Top VIIIA standout group of student-athletes that includes the Heisman Trophy winner, individual champions in swimming and diving and two members of soccer teams that have captured Division I titles has been selected as this year's Today's Top VIII. The Today's Top VIII, selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, recognizes distinguished student-athletes from the preceding calendar year for athletics and academic achievement, character, and leadership. Those chosen are football players Tiki Barber of the University of Virginia and Danny Wuerffel of the University of Florida; basketball standout Jennifer M. Clarkson of Abilene Christian University; soccer players Jennifer Marie Renola of the University of Notre Dame and Michael J. Fisher of the University of Virginia; diver Adam Burgasser of the University of California, San Diego; and swimmers Berit Puggaard of Southern Methodist University and Annette E. Salmeen of the University of California, Los Angeles. The Today's Top VIII will be recognized at the honors dinner January 12 during the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Following are biographical sketches of the Today's Top VIII:
Atiim (Tiki) Barber
Barber was a third-team all-American as a junior and was one of eight finalists for the 1995 Doak Walker Award given to the nation's best running back. He was named the most outstanding player of the 1995 Peach Bowl after rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown. He also established school records in rushing and all-purpose yards. A commerce major, Barber is one of eight football student-athletes in the country to be awarded a postgraduate scholarship by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Barber also is a 1995 first-team GTE Academic All-America and three-time all-ACC academic selection. Barber is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and a member of the Rotunda Burning Society, which recognizes individuals who have rendered considerable service at Virginia. He also participates in a program in which elementary school children are encouraged to read and do well in school.
Adam Burgasser
Also named UC San Diego's athlete of the year in 1996, Burgasser was a recipient of the Breitbard Athletic Certificate of Achievement given by the San Diego Hall of Champions. Burgasser graduated summa cum laude with a degree in physics. He was a 1995-96 Research Scholar and recipient of the John Holmes Malmberg Award. Burgasser also earned GTE Academic All-America recognition in 1994, 1995 and 1996. A member of the John Muir Theater Troupe and the Muir Musical Ensemble, Burgasser also has volunteered as a drama teacher in California high schools and has donated time to teach Internet technology to elementary and middle school children.
Jennifer M. Clarkson
She was named the Lone Star Conference's most outstanding player as a senior after leading the league in scoring, steals and field-goal percentage. A four-time team captain, Clarkson ranks second on school charts in career scoring and rebounding. Abilene Christian retired her jersey after her senior campaign. Clarkson is an elementary education major and a recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. A first-team GTE Academic All-America selection, Clarkson also is a three-time all-Lone Star academic choice. Clarkson was a member of "Wildcat Kids," similar to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, and participated in the START program, which is a student-athlete group that speaks to local school children about drug and alcohol abuse.
Michael J. Fisher
Fisher has ranked among scoring leaders in each of the last two seasons and is a two-time recipient of the Hermann Award, given by the National Soccer Hall of Fame to the nation's top collegiate player. He has been named player of the year by both Soccer America and Soccer Digest magazines. He also was named the Atlantic Coast Conference's player of the year in 1996 after climbing to fourth on ACC charts in career points and first in career assists. He holds school marks in both of those categories as well. Fisher earned a degree in biology/premedicine and was named the GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for at-large sports. He also is a three-time all-ACC academic selection. One of four initial alternates for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, Fisher also is a three-time member of the United States under-23 national team. He is a Special Olympics volunteer and a volunteer coach for an under-10 youth soccer team.
Berit Puggaard
She has been a member of two relay champions, including the Mustangs' 400-yard medley relay team in 1996 and the 800-yard freestyle relay team in 1995. Internationally, Puggaard competed for Denmark in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and has been a member of the Danish national team for six years. She also competed in the World Championships in 1991 and 1994. A communications major, Puggaard is a two-time first-team GTE Academic All-America selection. She also is a tutor and mentor at St. Philips School of Dallas.
Jennifer Marie Renola
She holds school records in career shutouts and career goals-against average. She also has registered the best winning percentage in school history. Renola is an English/computer-applications major and a 1995 GTE Academic All-America selection. She also is a 1995 Knute Rockne student-athlete award winner and a five-time Notre Dame dean's list member. She is involved in the Notre Dame life skills program for freshman student-athletes and is an academic peer adviser. She has participated in a United Way fund-raiser for diverse charity groups and has visited terminally ill children at Riley Children's Hospital.
Annette E. Salmeen
Salmeen also was a significant point-scorer for the Bruins in three previous championships, placing seventh in the 200-yard butterfly and the 800-yard freestyle relay in 1995, eighth in the 800-freestyle relay in 1994, and eighth in the 200-yard butterfly in 1993. Salmeen also starred in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, winning a gold medal as a member of the 800-yard freestyle relay team and finishing 12th in the 200-yard butterfly. She also has participated in other international competition, including the 1995 World University Games and the 1994 World Championships. A 1996 graduate with a degree in chemistry, Salmeen earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and was a GTE Academic All-America selection in 1995. She was one of 10 finalists for the 1996 NCAA Woman of the Year award, and she has served as secretary of the UCLA Mortar Board, a national honors society for seniors that sponsors community service events.
Danny Wuerffel
He finished third in the balloting for the 1995 Heisman and won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback. He was selected as the 1995 player of the year by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame and as the 1995 offensive player of the year by Football News. Wuerffel holds Southeastern Conference records in career touchdown passes and combined passing and rushing touchdowns scored. He established school marks in career touchdown passes, career 400-yard passing games and consecutive passes thrown without an interception. He is a two-time SEC player of the year and was the 1993 SEC freshman player of the year. One of eight football student-athletes in the country to be awarded a postgraduate scholarship by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Wuerffel is a public relations major and a 1995 first-team GTE Academic All-America selection. Wuerffel is president of a local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has been the keynote speaker at more than 100 national, regional and local conferences. He is an original founding committee member of the SEC Ministry and is a member of Florida's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. |
A preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, Barber is an all-Atlantic Coast Conference running back who was named the league's offensive player of the year in 1996 after rushing for more than 100 yards in nine of 10 games. His 19 career 100-yard games is a school record.
Burgasser won the three-meter diving championship and placed second in the one-meter event at the 1996 Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships to complete a career in which he placed no worse than ninth in each event for four consecutive years. He was named Division III's diver of the year in 1996.
Named the 1996 Division II player of the year by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Clarkson helped lead Abilene Christian to the national semifinals last year, when the Wildcats placed third. Clarkson's 112 tournament points ranked first among Elite Eight participants, and she completed her career as Division II's fifth all-time leading scorer.
Fisher has helped guide the Cavaliers to two Division I Men's Soccer Championship titles and one third-place finish during his four-year career.
A two-time national champion in the 200-meter butterfly, Puggaard also won the 200-yard butterfly in the 1994 and 1995 NCAA Division I women's championships. She placed third in the event in the 1996 championships and was among the top five in four other events to help the Mustangs place second in team scoring, Southern Methodist's highest place finish ever.
Renola is a three-time all-American goalkeeper for Notre Dame and helped lead the Fighting Irish to their first national title in 1995. This year's squad spent much of the season ranked No. 1 and advanced to the national-championship match for the third consecutive year.
Salmeen became UCLA's first women's swimming champion when she won the 200-yard butterfly at the 1996 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. She also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle and seventh in the 200-yard freestyle.
The 1996 Heisman Trophy winner, Wuerffel is one of the top passers in NCAA history, having set a career mark in passing efficiency and ranking second in career touchdown passes.