Bennys Awards Announced
A College World Series team and a potential College World Series team were named the 2005-2006 Oregon State University teams of the year at the eighth annual Bennys awards ceremony Wednesday at the
The Beaver softball team shared the Female Team of the Year award with the gymnastics squad. Kirk Walker’s softball program, which has been honored with a Benny for three straight years, advanced to the College World Series for the first time ever and ended the season with a 43-16 record. The gymnastics program, under the direction of head coach Tanya Chaplin, advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2002. Both Walker and Chaplin also shared the Female Sport Coach of the Year honor.
The Male Team of the Year was presented to the baseball program for the second straight year. Pat Casey’s team hosts Stanford this weekend in the best-of-three series to determine a qualifier for the College World Series. The No. 8 Beavers are 42-14 and won the 2006 Pac-10 Conference title. In addition, Casey earned the Male Sport Coach of the Year.
Softball standouts Cambria Miranda and Brianne McGowan were co-recipients of the Female Athlete of the Year Award. Both were selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America team and first team All-Pac-10 Conference. Miranda finished the season batting .313 with 16 home runs, while McGowan had a 29-9 mark pitching and batted .285 with 10 home runs.
Biletnikoff Award recipient Mike Hass and Pac-10 Conference Baseball Player of the Year Cole Gillespie shared the Male Athlete of the Year Award. Hass broke the conference record for receiving yards in one season with 1,532 and earned numerous first team All-America honors. Gillespie led the conference in many offensive categories and was drafted Tuesday in the third round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Freshman offensive guard Jeremy Perry from the football team was awarded the Joe Zaher Male Newcomer of the Year Benny, while gymnasts Tasha Smith and Jami Lanz, and swimmer Saori Haraguchi shared honors for Female Newcomer of the Year. Perry was the Pac-10 Conference Co-Freshman of the Year. Smith won Pac-10 titles on vault and floor and earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Lanz was selected the Pac-10 Conference Co-Freshman of the Year and the team’s Most Valuable Athlete. Haraguchi became the youngest All-American in the swimming program’s history when she finished sixth in the 200 butterfly.
Men’s golfer Vincent Johnson, gymnast Tasha Smith, McGowan and Miranda were selected the Male and Female Performances of the Year. Johnson shot a school-record three- round total of 14-under 202 to capture the Northwest Collegiate in September at the Trysting Tree Golf Club. Smith won the vault and floor at the Pac-10 Championships, McGowan shut out California twice in the same day to lead the Beavers to the NCAA Super Regional title, and Miranda hit two home runs in the same at bat (first was nullified) in a game vs. Washington.
The Department of Athletics also presented Bennys to gymnast Chrissy Lamun as the Robert Byers Spirit Award recipient, and to All-Americans Saori Haraguchi (swimming), Mike Hass (football), Daniel Leach (soccer), Caroline Leibinger (rowing), Brianne McGowan (softball), Cambria Miranda (softball), Jeremy Perry (football), Alexis Serna (football) and Tasha Smith (gymnastics).
Ami Rothberg (rowing) and Mitch Gillis (golf) were honored as the Glenn Klein Community Service recipients. Scholar-Athlete Bennys were presented to Colt Charles (football), Chrissy Lamun (gymnastics), Cara Miller (soccer), Kristy Mortensen (volleyball), Ausra Pacebutaite (swimming), Stephanie Parker (rowing), Andrea Pleven (rowing), Tara Stirewalt (cross country/track), Ashleigh Thomas (swimming), Kristen Tomlinson (rowing) and Ashley Younce (cross country/track).
Bob Riggert of Tillamook was presented the Martin Chaves Lifetime Achievement Benny. Riggert was a three-year football letterman and has been a long-time volunteer and support of the university.
