HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - A pair of Northern Kentucky University senior student-athletes have been selected as the University’s Athlete of Distinction Award winners.
Kendra Zinser, who led the NKU women’s soccer team to the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals last season, earned the Margery Rouse Athlete of Distinction honor. Jesse Rupe, an All-Great Lakes Valley Conference performer for the NKU men’s basketball team this past season, was chosen as the Vincent Schulte Athlete of Distinction.
The Athlete of Distinction Award is the highest honor an NKU student-athlete can receive from the University. It is presented to a male and female who best exemplifies the student-athlete concept through dedication, effort, ability, leadership and unselfishness, and has given the most to NKU Athletics.
Zinser led NKU in scoring last fall with 13 goals and seven assists. She helped the Norse post a 17-3-4 record and earn their fifth straight berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Zinser is also a three-time member of the GLVC All-Academic Team.
Zinser’s three goal-performance in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship match lifted NKU to a 4-3 win over top-seeded Grand Valley State University last fall. Zinser was named first team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference and first team All-Region as a senior.
Rupe, a 6-foot-10 center, averaged 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game to earn second team All-GLVC honors. He led NKU with 37 blocked shots as a senior and made a team-leading 51 percent from the field.
A four-time member of the GLVC All-Academic Team, Rupe also made 72.5 percent of his free throws as a senior and emerged into one of the top inside players in the GLVC.
Six other NKU senior student-athletes - Amine Benjelloun, Cammi Welter, Nicole Salisbury, Sara Taylor, Brandon Parsons and Elizabeth Brunsman - received Career Achievement Awards.
Benjelloun, a men’s tennis player, earned All-GLVC honors three times during his career. He led NKU to its second straight GLVC championship this spring and also earned GLVC co-Player of the Year honors.
Welter, a four-year letterwinner for the volleyball team, finished her career with 1,535 kills. As a senior, she was named first team All-GLVC and All-Region, and she was also honorable mention AVCA All-American in 2003. She led NKU to a pair of GLVC titles during her career and two berths in the NCAA Tournament.
Salisbury, a member of the volleyball team the past two seasons, was named second team All-GLVC as a junior. She recorded 470 kills as a senior. This past season, she also led NKU to an upset of top-seeded and previously unbeaten Northern Michigan University during the semifinals of the NCAA II Great Lakes Region Tournament at Marquette, Mich., with 17 kills and 10 digs.
Taylor, a setter for the volleyball team who led the nation in assists two years ago, finished her career third in Norse history with 3,268 assists. As a junior, Taylor averaged 13.83 apg and was named first team All-GLVC and AVCA first team All-Region. She helped NKU earn three NCAA Tournament berths and was also named All-GLVC as a defender her freshman season.
Parsons, a four-year letterwinner for the men’s golf team, earned All-GLVC honors twice in his career. He has helped the NKU men's golf program receive three berths in the NCAA Division II Tournament. As a freshman, Parsons played for an NKU team that advanced to the NCAA II national finals and finished 16th nationally.
Brunsman, a four-year letterwinner for the NKU women’s tennis team, earned All-GLVC honors four times in her career and helped the Norse capture three GLVC titles. Brunsman is 15-5 at No. 1 singles this season going into the NCAA Division II Tournament, which will be held May 7-9 at Midland, Mich.
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Kendra Zinser |
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Jesse Rupe |