May 6, 2007

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee honored present and former student-athletes Sunday afternoon at the annual Student-Athlete Awards Reception and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Milwaukee Hilton City Center.

The major award-winners included Billy Meier of men's soccer and Lindsay Caldwell of women's swimming and diving, who were honored as the Pepsi/UWM Athletes of the Year. Meier and Molly Duffy of women's soccer then received the prestigious UWM Alumni Association Herman Kluge Awards.

UWM also welcomed four new members to its Athletic Hall of Fame - Jennifer Greger, Ronald Kurtz, Brian Tompkins and Kim (Rosenberg) Farrow.

Meier has mastered the combination of athletic and academic accomplishment, receiving numerous awards in his career for his playing abilities and his work in the classroom. As a four-year player and three-year starter on the men's soccer team, Meier capped his illustrious career as a senior by earning First Team All-Horizon League honors and was also named league defensive player of the year. In addition to helping post four shutouts in the final seven games of the year, the Panther captain recorded a career-best three goals - including two game-winners - and eight points. He also earned First Team NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region honors as well as an invite to the Major League Soccer Combine this past January.

In the classroom, Meier was named Second Team NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America. The award was one of many academic honors that Meier received last fall. The NSCAA scholar awards are among the most prestigious in soccer, as the organization chooses its teams from a group that includes all colleges and levels, and is not split into divisions. In addition, he was a First Team NSCAA Scholar All-North/Central Region member and was selected Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America and to the Horizon Academic All-League Team.

Caldwell has been the definition of a student-athlete in her time at UWM. In the pool, she earned Horizon League Championship Swimmer of the Meet honors for the third-straight season this year and was selected Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year as a junior. She won 28 of 34 races on the season and placed second in three others. She claimed four league titles as a senior (50,100 and 200 freestyle and one relay) to bring her career total to 13. She leaves the program holding 16 records overall and as one of just four Panthers to appear in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" feature.

In the classroom, she has been just as impressive, earning Horizon League Scholar Athlete of the Week twice this year while also earning a spot on the Winter Academic All-Horizon League Team for the third-straight year. She has also been honored by the CSCAA as an Academic All-American Honorable Mention choice for the past two years and was Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District as a junior.

Duffy was a three-year letterwinner for the UWM women's soccer team, playing every position at one time or another for the Panthers. She started her career as a defender and midfielder, but found her niche as a forward, bringing experience and guile to a young corps up front. She also found herself starting in goal one time, making four saves to help Milwaukee defeat UW-Green Bay, 2-1, as a junior. For her career, she appeared in 44 games, starting 11, scored two goals and tallied an assist. The Panthers have also won league titles in each of her seasons with the program, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the last two. A native of Madison, Wis., Duffy will receive her degree in educational studies this month, having been a regular on the Horizon League Honor Roll and the UWM Dean's List.

The Pepsi/UWM Athlete of the Year award is chosen by a panel of athletic adminstrators. Any UWM student-athlete is eligible for the award, and the final vote on the winners is taken using a ballot with one nominee from each sport. Meanwhile, the Herman Kluge Senior Athlete Award is given annually to one male and one female student who best live up to the student-athlete mantra of academic excellence, athletic achievement and community involvement. Herman Kluge was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1928. He was a member of the UWM staff from 1931-1974, serving as a teacher, coach and athletic director during his tenure.

A large number of other awards were handed out, with teams recognized for their athletic and academic performance and all UWM Scholar-Athletes and Scholar-Athletes with distinction honored at the event. Scholar-Athletes with Distinction have earned a grade-point average between 3.5 and 4.0 during either the spring 2006 semester or the fall 2006 semester. Scholar-Athletes have earned a grade-point average between 3.25 and 3.5 during either of those same two semesters.

Winners of the Faculty Athletic Representative's Award for having the highest grade-point average on their team were Andy Hetebreug (baseball); Nick Hansen (men's basketball); Aubri Rote (women's basketball); Billy Meier and Ken Ogorzalek (men's soccer); Jodi Klagos (women's soccer); Karl Winderl (men's swimming and diving); Emma McKeith (women's swimming and diving); Lauren Fenley (tennis); Nick Hawley (men's cross country); Adam Podd (men's track and field); Erin Magargee (women's cross country); Shannon Buttchen (women's track and field); and Cheryl Hegemann (volleyball).

Klagos was also recognized with the athletic director's award for having the highest cumulative grade-point average among all UWM student-athletes. The sophomore has a perfect 4.00 GPA as a kinesiology major.

Trentin Edwards of the men's track and field team was given the UWM Athletic Board Special Recognition Award. Since transferring to Milwaukee after his freshman year, Edwards has made an impact on the Panther track and field program and in the Horizon League. He has won six league sprinting championships and taken second another time. As a sophomore rookie, he was named the Horizon League Track Newcomer of the Year at both the indoor and outdoor meets. He was then named Most Outstanding Track Performer outdoors in 2006. He'll enter the 2007 Horizon League Outdoor Championships next weekend as defending two-time league champion in both the 100m and 200m. His efforts have helped UWM claim three Horizon League indoor and two outdoor championships to date.

Also honored were Tenzin Rampa of men's soccer (UWM's representative at the NCAA National Leadership Conference), Karl Winderl of swimming and diving (men's strength and conditioning award) and Stacey Faude of women's soccer (women's strength and conditioning award). Sarah Moore of volleyball and Kate Megna of women's soccer won the Horizon League's Sportsmanship Award, while the women's basketball team was recognized with the League's Community Outreach Award.