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CORVALLIS - Seniors Nathan Coy from the wrestling team and Felicia Ragland from the women's basketball program were selected the Oregon State University Male and Female Athletes of the Year highlighting the Fourth Annual Benny Awards Tuesday evening at the LaSells Stewart Center on campus. The event culminated the 2001-2002 athletic year.
Coy, a four-year letterman from Oregon City, posted a 22-7 record at 174 pounds. He won his second straight Pacific-10 Conference title and proceeded to earn his first All-American honor by placing fourth at the NCAA Championships. Coy won 11 consecutive matches during the course of the season and posted two victories over nationally ranked opponents.
Ragland concluded her banner career by being selected to the All-Pac-10 team for the third consecutive season. The native of Tulare, Calif., repeated as an All-American this season after leading the conference in scoring and steals. She concluded her career as the third Oregon State player to eclipse the 1,600-point and 600-rebound marks. Ragland became the first Beaver ever to be selected in the Women's National Basketball Association Draft, as Seattle tabbed her in the second round.
Team of the Year Bennys were awarded to the men's crew and women's gymnastics programs. The varsity eight crew captured fourth place at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships, the highest finish ever by the program. Oregon State's junior varsity eight and freshmen eight also finished in the top 10. The gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive year, finishing 12th. The nationally ranked team posted four of the top 20 scores in school history.
Dave Reischman of men's crew, in his eighth year, received the Male Sport Coach of the Year Benny while Mariusz Podkoscielny of swimming accepted the Female Sport Coach of the Year Benny. Both coaches guided their programs to their best seasons in school history. Podkoscielny, the sixth-year head coach, led OSU to a school record 31st place at the NCAA Championships. The program also achieved the highest finish ever at the Pac-10 Championships and its third consecutive winning season.
Mitch Meeuwsen of the football program garnered the Male Newcomer of the Year Benny, while Juleen Smith of basketball captured the female honor. Meeuwsen was among the team leaders for tackles and was named a Freshman All-American. Smith started 14 consecutive games to conclude the season, and averaged 20 points and 8.5 rebounds at the Pac-10 Tournament.
The Robert Byers Spirit Award, named in honor of the late crew athlete who passed away recently, was awarded to junior wrestler Casey Horn. The North Salem High School graduate battled knee and elbow injuries throughout the season but still managed to post a 19-7 record. His accolades include a team-high eight pins and a victory over the second ranked wrestler in the country in his weight class.
Sophomore pitchers Ben Rowe and Monica Hoffman were the recipients of the Male and Female Performance of the Year Bennys. Rowe hurled a four-hitter in the Beavers' series opening victory over the No. 4 Stanford Cardinal in the first night contest ever at Goss Stadium and Coleman Field. Hoffman pitched a perfect game, the third in school history, in the softball team's 1-0 win at Hawaii. She dominated opponents in a six-day period, with two no-hitters.
The Glenn Klein Community Service Bennys were awarded to freshman Adam Daniel of wrestling and sophomore Courtney Carter of women's soccer. Both Daniel and Carter were involved in numerous functions around the OSU and Corvallis communities throughout the year.
All-American Bennys were presented to Coy, Meeuwsen, Ragland, Dennis Weathersby of football, Elizabeth Jillson of gymnastics, Gina Schmidt of volleyball, and Birte Steven and Naya Higashijima of swimming.
Scholar-Athlete Bennys were awarded to Schmidt, Jerra Lopez of gymnastics, Bonnie Renwick from swimming, and Emmy Gardner and Lauren Sommers of crew.
The Martin Chaves Lifetime Achievement Benny was presented to longtime Beaver supporter Sue Poorman of Portland. Poorman is a former president of the Beaver Athletic Student Fund, and has raised over $1 million for the organization. Both Sue and her husband, Ken, are graduates of OSU.
The 2001-2002 Benny Awards
Male Athlete of the Year: Nathan Coy (wrestling)
Female Athlete of the Year: Felicia Ragland (basketball)
Male Newcomer of the Year: Mitch Meeuwsen (football)
Female Newcomer of the Year: Juleen Smith (basketball)
Male Performance of the Year: Ben Rowe (baseball)
Female Performance of the Year: Monica Hoffman (softball)
Male Coach of the Year: Dave Reischman (crew)
Female Coach of the Year: Mariusz Podkoscielny (swimming)
Male Team of the Year: Crew
Female Team of the Year: Gymnastics
Robert Byers Spirit Award:Casey Horn
Community Service Awards: Adam Daniel (wrestling) & Courtney Carter (soccer)
Martin Chaves Lifetime Achievement Award: Sue Poorman
Scholar Athletes of the Year: Emmy Gardner (crew), Jerra Lopez (gymnastics),
Bonnie Renwick (swimming), Gina Schmidt (volleyball), Lauren Sommers (crew)
All-Americans: Felicia Ragland (basketball), Birte Steven (swimming), Naya
Higashijima (swimming), Dennis Weathersby (football), Mitch Meeuwsen
(football), Elizabeth Jillson (gymnastics), Gina Schmidt (volleyball),
Nathan Coy (wrestling)
