35th Annual Women's Athletics Awards Presentation
April 29, 2009 AUSTIN, Texas -- On Tuesday night at the Frank Erwin Center, The University of Texas Women’s Athletic Department was nothing more than a sprawling cluster of student-athletes, parents, coaches, staff and fans gathered to celebrate a year full of trophies lifted and records broken. Perhaps more than anything, though, they all gathered to celebrate one another, and their bonded fabric of sportsmanship and kinship. “If I could stay here forever, I would,” said Soccer’s Stephanie Logterman. Logterman was a featured winner at the 35th Annual Women’s Athletics Awards Presentation, as she was honored with the Jamie Carey UnitedHealthcare Comeback Award. Logterman returned from an ACL injury to headline UT’s eighth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Every day during her rehabilitation process, Logterman worked with Lisa Stalans, the athletic trainer for women’s soccer, but Logterman said every other person in the training room would come by to offer support. “That’s reflective of the athletics department as a whole -- nice people, genuinely nice people,” Logterman said. “If your goal in life is to surround yourself with great people, then you can do that at Texas. “When I say coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made, I mean that with all sincerity. The people I’ve met, and the things I’ve gotten to do -- I feel that those experiences would not have been the same if I had gone elsewhere.” Softball’s Erin Tresselt received the Coca-Cola Solid Citizen Award, which honors a student-athlete for dedication to academics, athletics and community service. As part of her volunteer efforts with UT, she spent every Friday in the fall at the Dell Children’s Medical Center working in the oncology unit.
Tresselt will apply for medical school after her time at UT is over, and her experiences at Dell solidified that plan. “I’m thankful that UT allows me those kinds of opportunities,” Tresselt said. “I’m thankful I got to be in that environment. I loved it.” If anything, that’s what Tuesday night explained -- being a UT student-athlete is about existing in an environment that celebrates today, but also prepares for tomorrow. Track and Field senior Alex Anderson, who received the Jill A. Sterkel Leadership Award, is currently facing that fact. “We didn’t think it would go by that fast, but it did,” Anderson said. “It’s almost bittersweet, because you’re ready to open up a new chapter in your life and see what the world has to offer you, but you’re going to miss the people here and the experiences of being on a team at Texas.” 35th ANNUAL UT WOMEN'S ATHLETICS AWARDS PRESENTATION Jill A. Sterkel Leadership Award Jamie Carey UnitedHealthcare Comeback Award Coca-Cola Solid Citizen Award Team Most Improved Awards |
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