Seven UB Student-Athletes Named SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award Winners

UB leads the four SUNY Universities in selections

BUFFALO, NY - Seven University at Buffalo student-athletes have been selected as SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award winners for 2008-09. The Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award was created in 2003-04 to recognize students who have combined academic excellence and outstanding athletic achievement at the Division I, Division III and NJCAA levels at SUNY schools. One award winner was selected in each sport at each of the three athletic levels - for a total of 78 students in 20 different sports from 31 SUNY campuses. For the fifth time in six years, UB led the way in selections with seven student-athletes. UB had seven selections each of the first two years and four three seasons ago. Last year, the Bulls had six student-athletes honored. While UB had seven selections this year, each of the other three SUNY Universities (Albany, Binghamton, Stony Brook) each had four. Buffalo's winners this year were as follows:

Kourtney Brown

Kourtney Brown (Solon, OH/Solon)
Women's Basketball, 3.223 GPA, Computer Engineering
Brown was named Academic All-MAC and named to the All-MAC Second Team following a record breaking season for the Bulls. Brown set the school record for points in a season and field goals in a season. She notched 30 points in a game twice this season, becoming the first UB player to do so in six years. Brown led the Bulls to their first MAC Tournament semifinal and she was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Meili Carpenter

Meili Carpenter (Boulder, CO/Fairview)
Women's Swimming and Diving, 3.777 GPA, Chemistry Carpenter was named second-team All-MAC and represented the Bulls at the NCAA Championships in College State, TX. Carpenter finished second at the MAC Championships in the one-meter and three-meter competition. Carpenter was also an Academic All-MAC Selection and she was also named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I University Division Second Team.

Denise Harijanto

Denise Harijanto (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Women's Tennis, 3.699 GPA, Management
Harijanto was named first-team All-MAC for the first time this season and also made her second straight appearance on the Academic All-MAC Team. Harijanto led the way in singles victories with a 23-5 record and her 22-4 doubles mark was also first on the team. Harijanto was also named MAC Player of the Week once during the past season.

Michael McDowell

Michael McDowell (Rush, NY/Rush Henrietta)
Men's Swimming and Diving, 3.697 GPA, Mathematics
McDowell represented the Bulls in the NCAA Championships after a stellar performance at the NCAA Zone Diving meet. McDowell earned a second place finish on the one-meter board and a third place finish on the three-meter MAC/Sun Belt Conference Championships. McDowell was also an Academic All-MAC Selection and twice was named the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week.

Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith (Mexico, NY/Mexico)
Wrestling, 3.600 GPA, Exercise Science
Smith was named to the Academic All-MAC Team and the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Division I Team after a season where he had a 29-9 record at the 133-pound weight class. In dual meets only, Smith went 14-2. He also placed first this season at New York State Intercollegiate Wrestling Championships.

Drew Willy

Drew Willy (Randolph, NJ/Randolph)
Football, 3.236 GPA, Communications
Willy led the Bulls to the Mid-American Conference Championship and their first ever bowl game this past season. Willy, who graduated as the school's all-time leader in most passing categories, threw for 3,304 yards and 25 touchdowns this past year. Following the season, Willy signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Andrea Vescio

Andrea Vescio (Niagara Falls, Ontario/A.N. Myer)
Women's Soccer, 3.599 Masters GPA, Management
Vescio concluded her final season with the Bulls by being named to the Academic All-MAC team for the third straight year. Since players can not make the team in their freshman year, Vescio made the academic squad in all three possible seasons. Vescio started every game for the Bulls in 2008, tallying four goals and one assist.