2010-11 NCCU Athletics Highlights Video
DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University senior volleyball outside hitter Belinda Behncke-Biney and senior basketball guard C.J. Wilkerson were announced as the LeRoy T. Walker NCCU female and male student-athletes of the year on Tuesday night during The 2011 Eddies awards show inside B.N. Duke Auditorium on the campus of NCCU.
Behncke-Biney, a native of Hamburg, Germany, topped the team with 414 kills, 47 service aces and 209 digs in 2010. In just three seasons at NCCU, she ranks ninth in career kills (831) and ninth in career service aces (121), while also recording 558 career digs. Behncke-Biney maintains a 4.0 grade point average in NCCU’s graduate school as a business administration major, after earning her undergraduate degree with academic honors last spring.
Wilkerson, a native of Oxford, N.C., led all HBCU Division I players in scoring at 19.0 points per game. During his senior season, Wilkerson scored in double figures in all but one game and scored 20 points or more on 12 different occasions, including 30 points against Norfolk State (Jan. 22) and a career-high 41 points against rival North Carolina A&T (Jan. 24). He finished his two-year NCCU career with 1,023 points, which places Wilkerson 29th in school history in scoring.
Men's tennis junior Alejandro Espitia, a political science major from Bogota, Columbia, and women’s tennis sophomore Oleysa Palko received the Chancellor's Award as the student-athletes with the highest overall grade point average. Espitia and Palko each maintain an unblemished 4.0 grade point average.
The women's tennis team earned the Faculty Athletic Council Award as the team with the highest overall grade point average for the second straight year and the fifth time since the start of the honor in 2000. Under the direction of women's tennis head coach David Nass, student-athletes Cameron Chatman, Oleysa Palko, Ashley Rogers, Tatiana Velasquez, Kelly Chaparro, Fredrica Lombard and Maria Nedstrom teamed up to produce an overall GPA of 3.712.
The team most valuable player awards were presented to Akeem Hood (baseball), C.J. Wilkerson (men's basketball), Jori Nwachukwu (women's basketball), Laverne Jones (bowling), Timberly Butler/Brittany Watson (cheerleading), Andrea Searls (softball), Spencer Jones (golf), Jack Waissen (men's tennis), Cameron Chatman (women's tennis), Brandon Addison (men's outdoor track & field), Crystal Shepherd (women's outdoor track & field), Jamar Jones (men's cross country), Dreanna Wallace (women's cross country), Jamar Jones (men's indoor track & field), Ashley McCoy (women's indoor track & field), Belinda Behncke-Biney (volleyball), Geovonie Irvine (football - offense), Donald Laster (football - defense), Arthur Goforth (football - special teams), Teryl White (football - overall).
The team academic award winners were Etienne Farquharson (baseball), Tramar Beaman (men's basketball), Sheresa Mills (women's basketball), Shelisha Ejimakor (bowling), Timberly Butler (cheerleading), Whitney Boykin (softball), Kempton Mandeville (golf), Alejandro Espitia (men's tennis), Oleysa Palko (women's tennis), Daran Gill (men's track & field/cross country), Paig Robinson (women's track & field/cross country), Tasha-Gaye Richards (volleyball) and Matthew Cornelius (football).
The first “True Grit” awards, established to recognize leadership, sportsmanship and pride, were presented to Rakeem Vick (football), Walter Batts (golf), Tim Rennard (baseball), Trey Chatman (men’s tennis), Michael Glasker (men’s basketball), Johnae Stoutamire (cheerleading), Blaire Houston (women’s basketball), Jzima-Malaki Kalao (volleyball), Charles Lindsay (men’s track & field), Saquenda Dallas (women’s track & field), Fredrica Lombard (women’s tennis), Whitney Boykin (softball) and Toria Silver (bowling).
In other award presentations, Marion Knight and Cheyenne Daniel were named Athletic Training Students of the Year; Kevin Wilson received the Virginia Politano Academic Achievement Award as the graduate assistant with the highest overall grade point average; Catrice Ballard earned the Armstrong-Hughley Award, named in honor of Dr. Shirley Armstrong and Dr. Carey Hughley and presented to the graduate assistant who demonstrated leadership and outstanding service to the Department of Athletics; Raja Rahim was recognized for her outstanding school spirit and enthusiastic support during NCCU athletics events with the Screaming Eagle Award; Lisa Smallwood Howell and Elston Howell of Spoken 4 Communications were honored as the Donors of the Year; and New York Life Insurance Company was highlighted as the Corporate Sponsor of the Year.
The Eddies closed with a highlight video as a tribute to the 2010-11 NCCU student-athletes, which can be viewed on the internet at www.YouTube.com/NCCUEagles.
