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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Two Northern Kentucky University golfers were selected as recipients of the Athlete of Distinction Awards at the annual Athletic Council Senior Awards Luncheon on Tuesday. NKU men’s golfer David Shearer was named the Vincent Schulte Athlete of Distinction, and Norse women’s golfer Bianca Hutton was selected as the Margery Rouse Athlete of Distinction. The Athlete of Distinction Award is the highest honor an NKU student-athlete can receive from the University and is presented to a male and female who best exemplify the student-athlete concept through dedication, effort, ability, leadership and unselfishness, and has given the most to NKU Athletics. In addition, the award is based on academic excellence, athletic ability and achievement, character and leadership and an active involvement in the community. Shearer is a three-time Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year and led NKU to its second straight league title this spring. A native of Charlevoix, Mich., Shearer shot rounds of 74-74-71 (219 total) earlier this month at Columbus, Ind., to claim the GLVC medal for the third straight season. Shearer also led NKU to regional titles in 2004 and ’05, and the Norse finished second at that event last year. Hutton, a native of Helsinki, Finland, has earned All-GLVC honors four times during her career. Earlier this month, Hutton captured the medal with a two-day total of 144 (71-73) to earn GLVC Player of the Year honors. As a sophomore, Hutton finished in a tie for 23rd place at the NCAA Division II national finals with a four-round total of 318. Hutton shot rounds of 80-85-75-78 at the par-73 University of New Mexico Championship Course. Hutton qualified as an individual for the national finals that season. In addition, Hutton is also a four-time member of the GLVC All-Academic Team.
Eight other NKU senior student-athletes - Karyn Creager, Jonathan Ehlen, Karmen Graham, Andrea Lanham, Matt Marksbury, Becky Napier, Kevin Schappell and Brittany Winner - received Career Achievement Awards. Creager, a native of Leipsic, Ohio, finished her career as the NKU women’s basketball program’s all-time leader in free-throw percentage at .879. She also scored 1,035 career points and helped the Norse advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament three times in four years. A graduate of Patrick Henry High School, Creager also set an NKU record this season by making 34 consecutive free throws. She also was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District IV Team this season. Creager is also a four-time member of the GLVC All-Academic Team. Ehlen, a Ryle High School graduate, is a four-year standout for the NKU men’s golf team. As a freshman, he fired a 1-over-par 72 during the final round of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional to win the medal with a total of 218. Graham, from Kettering, Ohio, scored 1,088 career points for the NKU women’s basketball team. As a junior, the 6-foot-1 post player earned honorable mention All-America accolades. She also was named to the All-GLVC first team as well as the All-Great Lakes Region first team. In addition, Graham was twice named GLVC Player of the Week as a sophomore. She is a graduate of Kettering Fairmont High School. Lanham, a four-year starting setter for the NKU volleyball team, finished her career No. 2 in Norse history with 4,726 assists. The Notre Dame Academy graduate also served up a school-record nine consecutive aces against Lewis to close out a game during the 2005 GLVC Tournament at Kansas City, Mo. Lanham helped NKU post four consecutive 20-win seasons, and she earned GLVC Player of the Week honors as a freshman. Marksbury, a graduate of Norwood High School, is currently unbeaten (6-0) with a team-best 2.35 earned run average. The senior right-hander also has 45 strikeouts and has allowed just 14 walks this season. A year ago, Marksbury was 6-3 with a 2.09 ERA en route to earning All-GLVC honors. He also helped the Norse win the GLVC Tournament championship and advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Napier, a native of Lexington, Ky., is a four-year starter for the NKU softball team. Two years ago, Napier played a major role in the Norse’s collegiate-record 55-game winning streak to begin the season. The Norse also advanced to the NCAA Division II national finals that same year. She is batting .324 with four home runs this season for the Norse.
Schappell, a graduate of Loveland High School, helped NKU post a 24-9 record this past season and advance to the championship game of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional. As a junior, Schappell was named honorable mention All-GLVC, and as a senior he finished No. 3 in the GLVC in free-throw shooting at 86.9 percent. Schappell also averaged 10.5 points per game as a senior and helped the Norse end Findlay’s 59-game home winning streak during the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional. Winner, a native of Minster, Ohio, was named to the All-GLVC first team as a senior after averaging 11.3 points per game and leading the NKU women’s basketball team to a 21-8 record. Winner, whose versatility and uncanny ability to hit big shots late in games made her one of the top players in the GLVC, also earned All-Great Lakes Region honors from Daktronics, Inc., this season. As a junior, she was named the most outstanding player of the GLVC Tournament after scoring 30 points in the championship game against Drury. Earlier in the 2005-06 season, she hit last-second shots against both Kentucky Wesleyan and Bellarmine to give NKU victories. Winner, who played one season at Elon (N.C.) before transferring to NKU, ended her collegiate career with 944 points. She is also three-time member of the GLVC All-Academic Team. Jamie DeLong (cheerleading), Stephanie Leimbach (sports medicine) and Kelli Moynahan (sports information) each received Career Service Awards, while NKU women’s soccer player Shirley Ernst was named the recipient of the Boothe Inspiration Award.
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