April 23, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. - The North Carolina Central University Student Activities Board and Beta Nu Rho will recognize two student-athletes and a coach during an Hip Hop Eagles Honor Awards Show on Saturday, April 25 at 8 p.m. inside McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium.

The three honorees will be women's tennis junior Kateryna Chorna as the Female Student-athlete of the Year, football and track & field senior Eric Smalls as the Male Student-Athlete of the Year and men's golf head coach Paul Perry as the Coach of the Year.

Chorna, a native of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, won a team-best six matches as the No. 1 singles player, while adding nine victories at No. 1 doubles.

Smalls, a native of Raleigh, N.C., is a two-sport standout for the Eagles. He ranked fifth on the squad with 54 total tackles and was second on the team in sacks with 5.5. In the spring, Smalls won the discus throw competition at three meets, while also finishing second twice. In the shot put, he posted two second place performances and two third place efforts.

Perry, a graduate of North Carolina Central University and former Eagle football student-athlete, guided the Eagles golf team to four top four finishes in seven events, including a dramatic come-from-behind victory at the Winston-Salem State Ram Invitational. Perry's golfers also tied for second place at the Savannah State Tiger Fall Invitational and placed third at the South Carolina State Bulldog Classic.

Tickets for Saturday night's Hip Hop Eagles Honor Awards Show, which recognizes NCCU students, faculty and staff in various categories, are available at the NCCU Ticket Office (919-530-5170). General admission tickets cost $5 in advance and $7 at the door, while tickets for NCCU students are $3 in advance and $5 at the door.

Doors open at 7 p.m., and the dress attire is semi-formal. For more information about the Hip Hop Eagles Honor Awards Show, call 919-530-7848.