BULLS NEWS

BUFFALO, NY ­ The University at Buffalo held its annual Athletic Awards Banquet on Tuesday night at the Four Points Sheraton, and junior men's basketball player Turner Battle (Kernersville, NC/East Forsyth) and junior swimmer Jennefer Brankovsky (Toronto, Ontario/Don Mills) were the stars of the night, walking away with UB's Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards.

Turner Battle and Jennefer Brankovsky

Battle is the only player in the Mid-American Conference to be named All-MAC and Academic All-MAC in each of the past two seasons. He was an All-MAC Second Team selection and a CoSIDA Academic All-District I First Team honoree this past season after leading the Bulls to a 17-12 overall record and an 11-7 MAC record as well as their first appearance in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals since joining the league in 1998. Battle averaged 14.5 points and 4.1 assists per game in 2003-04, and he has 903 career points, 351 career rebounds and 312 career assists (fifth all-time at UB). Battle is a two-time team captain and team Most Valuable Player. He was an All-MAC Honorable Mention selection in 2002-03 and a MAC All-Freshman Team pick in 2001-02.

Brankovsky was named UB's Female Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. A three-time All-MAC First Team selection, Brankovsky is a three-time MAC Champion, including winning the 400 individual medley at this season's league meet in Oxford, OH. She was last year's MAC Swimmer of the Year and is a three-time team MVP. Brankovsky is also a two-time Academic All-MAC selection.

Earning the Athletic Director's Team Award for its performance during the 2003-04 season was the UB men's basketball team, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon. The Bulls finished the season with a 17-12 overall record and an 11-7 MAC record. Their MAC record marked a nine-win improvement in MAC play from 2002-03 and is the second-biggest turnaround in the history of the conference. Their 12-win improvement was also tied for the second-best turnaround among all Division I schools in 2003-04. Buffalo advanced to the MAC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time ever, and Witherspoon was named MAC Coach of the Year.

Other major award winners included:
CLIFFORD C. FURNAS POST-GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
Senior Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) of the women's track and field team received the prestigious Clifford C. Furnas Post-graduate Scholarship. The Furnas Award is provided through annual interest earnings from the C.C. Furnas Fund in the University at Buffalo Foundation, Inc. and recognizes outstanding undergraduate performance in scholarship and athletic prowess. The recipient must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and be committed to graduate study, have strong personal character and outstanding athletic accomplishments.

INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS BOARD (IAB) STUDENT-ATHLETE LEADERS
The recipients of the IAB Student-Athlete Leader awards were Dave Pidgeon (Dorval, Quebec/Bishop Whelan/Mercer) of the men's soccer team and Lisa Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Cheektowaga) of the women's tennis team. This award is given by the Intercollegiate Athletics Board to honor a senior male and female athlete who have demonstrated leadership beyond their own teams to the Division and/or the campus, and whose character, actions, excellence and concern for other student-athletes make them strong ambassadors for the Division of Athletics and the University at Buffalo.

CHRISY DICKERSON UNSUNG HERO AWARD
Senior Mike Trotta (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside/Nassau CC) of the wrestling team is this year's winner of the Unsung Hero Award, as selected by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to recognize an individual who makes a significant contribution on the court, field or in the pool and is recognized for his or her dedication, unselfishness and contribution to the team. The award is named in honor of Christine Dickerson (Williamsville, NY/Nardin Academy), a member of UB's crew team who died tragically in a car accident in Ellicottville on December 11, 2002.

BLUE & WHITE CLUB COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Senior Sara Sheffer (Ft. Edward, NY/Colonie) of the crew team received the Blue & White Club Student-Athlete Excellence in Community Service Award, which honors a senior student-athlete who has demonstrated a commitment to serving the Western New York Community, as well as excelling in the classroom, while devoting himself or herself to the success of his or her team. Sheffer has been the president of UB's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the past two years.

The sport-by-sport award winners were:
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Head coach: Vicki Mitchell
Top Newcomer: Dan McKenna
Most Improved: Steve Strelick
Coaches Award: Chris McClure
MVP: Andy Wigton

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Head coach: Vicki Mitchell
Most Improved: Jennifer Jezorski
Coaches Award: Megan Housel
MVP: Jenny Koeppel

FOOTBALL
Head coach: Jim Hofher
Top Newcomer: Delando Bradford
Most Improved: Dallas Pelz
Coaches Award: Obadiah Harris
MVP: Mark Graham
Dominic Grossi Award: Adam Johnson

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Head coach: Jean-A. Tassy
Top Newcomer: Jessica Roesch
Most Improved: Anna-Lesa Calvert
Coaches Award: Brenna McJury
MVP: Emily Russell

MEN'S SOCCER
Head coach: John Astudillo
Top Newcomer: Andrew Butler
Most Improved: Ross Tauchert
Coaches Award: Chris Vavrina
MVP: Dave Pidgeon

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Head coach: Sally Kus
Top Newcomer: Nikki Morzenti
Most Improved: Amy Brown
Coaches Award: Katie Weekley
MVP: Lindsay Matikosh

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Head coach: Cheryl Dozier
Top Newcomer: Belinda Gibb
Most Improved: Talia Merlino
Coaches Award: Allison Bennett
MVP: Jessica Kochendorfer

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Head coach: Reggie Witherspoon
Top Newcomer: Yassin Idbihi
Most Improved: Calvin Cage
Coaches Award: Mark Bortz
MVP: Turner Battle

WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Head coach: Vicki Mitchell
Top Newcomer: Celestine Coney
Most Improved: Sarah Vance
Coaches Award: Allison Laske
MVP: Laura Olson

MEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Head coach: Perry Jenkins
Top Newcomer: Rayshon Higgins
Most Improved: Bryan Weinstein
Coaches Award: Todd Ludden
MVP: Todd Joki

WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Head coach: Dorsi Raynolds
Top Newcomer: Kahla Walkinshaw
Most Improved: Amanda Meyers
Coaches Award: Abby Delia
MVP: Jennefer Brankovsky

MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Head coach: Budd Termin
Top Newcomer: Luke Adams
Most Improved: Erik Schwarz
Coaches Award: Tony Lizauckas
MVP: Patrick Lee

WRESTLING
Head coach: Jim Beichner
Top Newcomer: Mark McKnight
Most Improved: Cliff Smith
Coaches Award: Ed Pawlak
The Bob Rich Outstanding Wrestler Award: Kyle Cerminara

BASEBALL
Head coach: Bill Breene
Awards will be announced at the conclusion of the 2004 season

WOMEN'S CREW
Head coach: Rudy Wieler
Top Newcomer: Corinne Blum
Most Improved: Chandra Hazey
Coaches Award: Caitlin Logue
MVP: Deanna Knighton

SOFTBALL
Head coach: Marie Curran
Awards will be announced at the conclusion of the 2004 season

MEN'S TENNIS
Head coach: Russ Crispell
Top Newcomer: Mike Rockman
Most Improved: Mike Zappone
Coaches Award: Nick Zieziula
MVP: Randy Rocchio

WOMEN'S TENNIS
Head coach: Kathy Twist
Top Newcomer: Onessa Williams
Most Improved: Kristen Ortman
Coaches Award: Lisa Wittman
MVP: Miglena Nenova

MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Head coach: Perry Jenkins
Awards will be announced at the conclusion of the 2004 season

WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Head coach: Vicki Mitchell
Awards will be announced at the conclusion of the 2004 season

CHEERLEADING
Head coaches: Amy Zabawa and Justin Bridenbaker
Top Newcomer: Kaela Nisbet
Most Improved: Jon Demler
Coaches Award: Candace Faubert
MVP: Erin Hoag