UB Women's Outdoor Track & Field Announces Awards

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's outdoor track and field squad presented its team awards for the 2006 season at the end of the year's competition in June.

Head coach Vicki Mitchell made the following presentations: Mary Veith (Derby, NY/Lake Shore) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Tina Villa (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) earned the Most Improved Player Award; Kate Kohout (Clarence, NY/Clarence) received the Coaches' Award; and Vanessa Roelofsen (Alma, Ontario/Norwell District SS) was named Most Outstanding.

Mary Veith

The Top Newcomer Award is presented to the individual student-athlete who distinguishes herself as the most talented new player on the team or the individual who accomplishes the greatest achievements as a first-year player. Veith scored points in her first Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships with a seventh-place finish in the 1,500-meter run. She completed the distance in 4:36.59, just two seconds shy of her personal best mark in the event, which she had set earlier in the season at the Hillsdale Gina Relays.

Tina Villa

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in her performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Villa, who was selected as the Coaches' Award winner in 2005, scored a seventh-place finish at the MAC Championships with her shot put of 46-0.75, a season-best mark. She also led the Bulls with her top discus mark of 150-1 set at Akron's Campbell/Wright Open on May 6.

Kate Kohout

The Coaches' Award is selected by the head coach and is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the team virtues as defined by the head coach. The recipient is one who stands out in dedication, commitment, unselfishness and enthusiasm towards helping the team improve. Kohout earned a third-place finish in the 800-meter run at the MAC Championships in 2:10.89, just one-hundredth of her personal-best time (2:10.88) set earlier in the season at the Hillsdale meet.

Vanessa Roelofsen

The Most Outstanding Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through her skills and leadership. Roelofsen capped off an impressive season with a pair of second-place finishes in the javelin at the MAC and NCAA East Regional meets, earning Second Team All-MAC honors and a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She finished 16th at her first NCAA Outdoor Championship meet with a toss of 150-2. Roelofsen broke her own UB javelin record three times during the 2006 campaign with her best toss of 169-8 set on April 29 at the Hillsdale Gina Relays.

The Bulls completed their season with a 12th-place finish at the MAC Championships and were 25th of 52 teams at the NCAA East Regional Championships.