June 25, 2002
LAS VEGAS -
Women's track star Michele Davis has been named the 2002 UNLV Sportswoman of the Year, while men's golfer Ryan Moore and men's tennis player Thomas Schneiter share the Olympic sportsman of the year award, the UNLV Women's Sports Foundation announced Tuesday.
Davis, who is UNLV's first five-time NCAA All-American in track and field finished her junior season with a career best, sixth-place finish in the 400 meters at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She finished in the top eight in the 200 (eighth) and 400 (sixth) meters at the 2002 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and is the school's record holder in the indoor 200 meters after breaking the 10-year-old mark at the 2002 NCAA Championships.
"Michele consistently performed at the highest level in her sport and has done so for several years," UNLV associate athletics director/senior woman administrator Lisa Kelleher said. "This season she really stood out with her finishes at the NCAA Championships along with her record-breaking performance."
Moore, a freshman, qualified and played in the 2002 U.S. Open to become only the second Rebel in the golf program's history to reach the prestigious event as a collegian. Following his top-10 finish at the NCAA Men's Golf Championship, he earned both regional and national recognition by the Golf Coaches Association of America being named to both the Softspikes All-Freshman Team and the PING All-Pacific Region Team. He also received honorable mention in the PING All-America balloting after leading the Rebels this season with a 72.56 stroke average and six top-10 finishes.
Schneiter is UNLV's first men's tennis All-American in half a decade and finished the 2002 season ranked 54th in the nation. He closed his senior campaign by winning 17 of his last 20 matches and upset two higher-ranked players in the 2002 NCAA Singles Championship. He was named the 2002 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Mountain Region Farnsworth Senior Player of the Year after posting a 24-8 overall record that included downing the nation's top-ranked player.
"These two student-athletes were both deserving of the sportsman of the year awards, so for the first time we have given out co-awards," Kelleher said. "Both student-athletes excelled individually throughout their seasons and finished the year with great performances in their respective sports."
Davis was nominated for the women's honor along with women's basketball's Linda Fr?hlich and swimming's Lorena Diaconescu. Fr?hlich, who finished her senior year as both the Lady Rebels' all-time leading scorer and rebounder and was selected 26th overall in the 2002 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty. Diaconescu, a senior, was named the Mountain West Conference's Women's Swimmer of the Year for the third straight year as she won the 200 freestyle at the conference championships for the third consecutive time.
The other men's nominee was Jacint Simon, a senior, who has earned All-America honors and been named the MWC Men's Swimmer of the Year each of the last three years.
