Benjamin, Walker Named UW Student-Athletes of the Year
June 17, 2003
SEATTLE - Just one week after being named recipients of the prestigious Pac-10 Medals for the 2002-03 season, Husky seniors Paige Benjamin and Brad Walker were honored Friday night as Washington's Student-Athletes of the Year at the athletic department's annual Academic Convocation. The convocation is held to recognize those graduating seniors who represent the best of Washington, both in athletics and academics.
A three-time Verizon Academic All-District honoree, Benjamin captained Washington's volleyball team to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003 while maintaining a 3.8 grade-point average in accounting. The senior earned first-team All-America honors both on the court and in the classroom, and was named to the Pac-10's All-Academic team for the third-consecutive year.
A graduate of Redmond (Wash.) High School, Benjamin earned one of six prestigious John C. McClendon Minority Scholarships from NACDA, as well as postgraduate scholarships from both the NCAA and Pac-10 Conference.
Walker, a graduate of Spokane's University High School, captured the NCAA indoor pole vault title with a Pac-10 record vault of 19 feet, 0 1/4 inches that equaled the third-best indoor mark in the world in 2003, and currently ranks second by an American vaulter this year.
A two-time Pac-10 champion and three-time NCAA All-American, Walker earned first-team Verizon Academic All-District honors this year, and is on the ballot for Academic All-America, to be announced June 17. A business administration major, Walker graduated from Washington this month with a 3.5 GPA.
Kate Bradshaw, a track and field teammate of Walker's, was also honored as the 2003 recipient of the prestigious Scott Greenwood Memorial Scholarship. The post-graduate scholarship is presented annually to an outstanding Husky athlete who excels in athletics, academics and community service.
The award is given in memory of former Husky tight end Scott Greenwood, and is presented by his wife, Nancy Greenwood Vehrs. A starter for Washington in the 1978 Rose Bowl, Greenwood earned the prestigious 101 Club Scholar-Athlete award his senior year and served for several years as the Vice President of Sellen Construction before succumbing to cancer in 1992. After his death, Greenwood's family and friends founded the Scott Greenwood Memorial Scholarship in his honor.
A psychology major with a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average, Bradshaw plans to apply the scholarship toward earning a master's degree in elementary education at Washington. Bradshaw was the 2000 Pac-10 10,000-meter champion and owns all-time top-10 UW marks in three events, including a 10,000-meter best of 33 minutes 35.51 seconds that is the third-fastest in Washington history.
Awards for top academic achiever were presented to women's tennis player Amy Allen and men's swimmer David Moilanen. Allen boasts a 3.86 GPA in Engliush, and Moilanen was a finalist for the prestigious President's Medal.
In addition to the individual award recipients, Washington honored several seniors who, during their careers, served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, including past presidents Andrea Morelli (women's soccer) and Marlon Shelton (men's basketball).
