Shaw; Dutton Named Student-Athletes of the Year

Lincoln -- The University of Nebraska student-athlete Academic Awards Banquet took place on Sunday evening in the main arena of the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The event, sponsored by the University of Nebraska Department of Intercollegiate Athletics honored a record 236 student-athletes who posted a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average or a 3.0 or higher GPA for the 1999 calendar year. The annual banquet is a result of the generous contribution made by Dick and Dale Herman.

Now in its 10th year, the 2000 banquet featured a 20-minute video, and keynote speaker Nancy Kindig Malone, a former standout track and field athlete at Nebraska.

The Herman Awards (named after the Dick and Dale Herman families) for the highest team GPA went to the men's tennis team, which posted an overall 3.205 in the 1999 calendar year, and to the women's cross country team, which posted a 3.647 team GPA. The women's cross country team has won the award five times in the six-year history of the award, while the men's tennis team has won the award three times. Other top three teams for the Herman Award (in no particular order) include the women's golf, track and field and volleyball teams, and the men's gymnastics, wrestling and swimming and diving teams.

Individually, medallions were given to 236 student-athletes. Honors medallions were given to those student-athletes with 3.0 to 3.49 GPAs, high honors medallions were given to those posting 3.5 to 3.749 GPAs, and highest honors medallions were given to those with GPAs of 3.75 to 4.0.

The student-athlete-of-the-year awards were presented by Athletic Director Bill Byrne. The winners were Janet Blomstedt Dutton (indoor senior, outdoor junior, multi-events, track and field, business administration major) for the women and Brian Shaw (senior linebacker, football, animal science major) for the men. Both Dutton and Shaw earned highest honors medallions at this year's banquet, with both posting a perfect cumulative 4.0 GPA.

Approximately 600 people were in attendance, including student-athletes, parents, athletic staff and coaches and UNL instructors.