June 13, 2011
Female Eddleman Finalists |
Male Newcomer Finalists | Female Newcomer Finalists
All-Time DIA Award Winners | 2011 Scholar-Athlete Reception
Meet the six finalists for the 2011 University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year Award. Finalists were selected by a committee of coaches and DIA administrators and were honored at the annual Scholar-Athlete Reception on May 3. Both the male and female Eddleman Award winners will be announced on Thursday, June 16, while the male and female Newcomer of the Year Award winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 14.
2011 Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year finalists:
Jimmy Kennedy, wrestling
Luke Guthrie, golf
Mikel Leshoure, football
Tyler Mizoguchi, gymnastics
Dennis Nevolo, tennis
Andrew Riley, track and field
Senior wrestler Jimmy Kennedy finished his Fighting Illini career in style with an impressive 2010-11 season. The 141-pound wrestler took fifth at the NCAA Championships, earning him his third All-American honor of his career. The Ingleside, Ill., native placed third-place at the Big Ten Championships, and second-place at the Midlands Championships after suffering an ankle injury that forced him to forfeit the Championship Match. Kennedy finished the season 23-4 and had a career-record of 120-24, which ties him for seventh-place on the all-time wins list at the school. The team's Outstanding Wrestler posted a career-win percentage of .833, which is fifth best in Illinois history.
Golfer Luke Guthrie peaked at the right time for the Fighting Illini. The junior from Quincy, Ill., was the only golfer in the nation to win both conference and regional titles this season and then finished off the year with a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championships while helping Illinois reach the match play quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Guthrie was a first team Ping! All-American after winning four individual titles during the 2010-11 season, including becoming the program's first Big Ten medalist since 1999. The first team All-Big Ten selection posted a stroke average of 71.36 on the season, which is the lowest single-season average in school history.
Hometown running back Mikel Leshoure re-wrote record books during a stellar junior season for the Illini football team. Leshoure also received All-American honors five different outlets, including the Associated Press, was a first team All-Big Ten selection and earned the College Football Performance Awards Running Back of the Year Award after rushing for a school record 1,697 yards while leading Illinois to a Texas Bowl win over Baylor in 2010. The Champaign, Ill., native ranked fifth in the nation in rushing yards per game (130.5) and led the nation in runs over 30 yards. Leshoure broke several single-season school records, including total touchdowns (20), rushing touchdowns (17), points (122) and 100-yard rushing games (9). He became the first Illini to lead the Big Ten in rushing during conference play since Jim Grabowski in 1965. Leshoure decided to forgo his senior season at Illinois to enter the 2011 NFL Draft. He was picked by the Detroit Lions in the second round (57th overall).
Junior gymnast Tyler Mizoguchi claimed his first-career NCAA title in the parallel bars at the NCAA Championships with a score 15.550. He also was also the runner-up in the all-around at NCAAs with a score of 90.150, which garnered him his second and third All-America honors, respectively. The First-Team All-Big Ten selection won a career-best nine individual event titles during the season, setting new school records in the all-around (90.800) and on the parallel bars (15.600). A native of Houston, Tex., Mizoguchi was named to the U.S. Senior National team for the second time in his career following his performance at the U.S. Winter Cup in February.
Junior tennis player Dennis Nevolo had a strong season for the Orange and Blue. His run through the NCAA Singles Championships ended in the Round of 16, which earned him All-America honors for a second time. Nevolo's 29 wins in 2011 were the most of his career and ranked first on the team. The Gurnee, Ill., product recorded 16 wins against nationally ranked opponents, highlighted by victories over the #1 ranked player in the nation in the fall and spring. The three-time All-Big Ten selection played all dual matches at the No. 1 spot for the Illini, helping the team the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Championships.
Junior sprinter/hurdler Andrew Riley followed up a national champion season in 2010 with another stellar campaign in 2011. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Riley won the NCAA 60m Indoor National Championship with a time of 7.58 seconds, breaking his previous school-record and the facility record. The seven-time All-American also picked-up his third-straight Big Ten title in the event. During the outdoor season, Riley posted a time of 13.49 seconds to win his second consecutive Big Ten 110m hurdle title in the event and also ran the lead-off led of the Big Ten Champion 4x100 relay. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships last weekend, Riley nearly repeated as national champ in the 110m hurdles, finishing second with a blazing time of 13.33. His personal best time of 13.32 in the NCAA quarterfinals tied the ninth-fastest collegiate mark in history. He also led-off the Illinois 4x100 relay, which finished third in the nation and ran a Big Ten and school record time of 38.72 at the NCAA semifinals.
