June 14, 2011
Past Newcomers of the Year | All-Time DIA Award Winners
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) announced today that Vanessa DiBernardo of soccer and Nathan Scheelhaase of football are the 2010-11 Fighting Illini Newcomers of the Year. The DIA's Newcomer of the Year Award is given annually to the best performing male and female student-athlete in his or her first year of competition at Illinois.
DiBernardo is the first soccer player to win the award since its inception in 1990, while Scheelhaase is the seventh football player to be named the school's top newcomer. He joins the likes of Arrelious Benn (2008), Brandon Lloyd (2000), Robert Holcombe (1995) and Simeon Rice (1993) on the prestigious list of past winners from football. Last year's winners were Pepper Gay (softball) and D.J. Richardson (basketball).
During her freshman season, DiBernardo made a habit of re-writing the Illini soccer record book. She scored 11 goals on the season, which ranked first in the Big Ten and were the most goals for an Illini player since 2007. She also led the conference in points (27), goals per game and points per game during the regular season while leading Illinois to a fourth place Big Ten finish and back to the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Naperville, Ill., DiBernardo helped the Illini to a 7-0 record when scoring at least one goal. Her four goal performance against Purdue on Oct. 1 broke school records for most goals in a half (3), most points in a half (6), most goals in a game (4) and most points in a game (8). Her outstanding performance led to her being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first team All-Big Ten, first team NSCAA All-Great Lakes, second team Top Drawer All-Rookie Team and a finalist for the Soccer News Net Women's Player of the Year.
Scheelhaase, a redshirt freshman quarterback, had a stellar season for the Illini football team. Scheelhaase turned in many unforgettable performances on his way to earning Freshman All-America honors and Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors six-times. Perhaps the most memorable was in a blowout win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl, Illinois' first bowl win in 11 years. Scheelhaase completed 13 consecutive passes to start the game, threw for a career-high 242 yards and ran for another 53 yards and a touchdown in the 38-14 victory.
For the season, Scheelhaase completed 155 of 264 passes for 1,825 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. He was particularly dialed-in late in the season, tossing 13 touchdowns and just one interception in the last seven games while leading the Illini to a fourth place finish in the Big Ten. A native of Kansas City, Mo., Scheelhaase broke the Illinois freshman rushing record and the all-time single-season QB rushing mark with 868 yards on the ground for the season. Under his direction, the Illini offense led the Big Ten in rushing and broke school records for both total points (343) and points per game (32.54) in a season.
The University of Illinois DIA hands out four major awards each academic year to honor the best and brightest Fighting Illini student-athletes. The Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded annually to a male and female senior student-athlete who demonstrates proficiency in scholarship and athletics. The Dike Eddleman Awards are given to the student-athletes who distinguished themselves in athletic achievement. The Newcomer of the Year Awards go to the best athlete performing in his or her first year of competition at Illinois. Finally, the Fighting Illini Spirit Award honors athletes who exemplify the spirit, courage, effort and dedication of the Fighting Illini.
The 2011 Medal of Honor and Spirit Awards were handed out at the annual Scholar-Athlete Reception on May 3 along with several other academic honors. The Eddleman and Newcomer of the Year Awards are announced each year in June to allow for the spring sport seasons to conclude. The 2011 Dike Eddleman Awards will be announced on June 16.
Related Links: Male Newcomer Finalists | Female Newcomer Finalists | Male Eddleman Finalists | Female Eddleman Finalists
