The Association of Division III Independents - Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 17, 2003

CONTACT:
Ted Breidenthal
816/474-7264
tbreidenthal@d3independents.org
www.d3independents.org

Association of Division III Independents
Names First Student-Athletes of the Year

KANSAS CITY, MO.---Alex Taylor, a baseball student-athlete at Chapman University, and Stephanie Cameron, a softball player at Thomas More College, are the recipients of the Association of Division III Independents Student-Athlete of the Year awards.

The awards are the first offered by the Association, which began formal operations in September 2002. All student-athletes from the Association's 20 members were eligible for the award. Each school was allowed to nominate its top male and female student-athletes. The award recipients were selected after a vote of the Association's Student-Athlete Recognition Committee.

"These two student-athletes are very deserving of our Association's highest honor," said Dick Strockbine, president of the Association of Division III Independents and director of athletics at the University of Dallas. "Recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of student-athletes from independent institutions is important to our members, and I'm proud that Alex and Stephanie are our first honorees."

Taylor was the senior second baseman and team captain of Chapman's national championship squad that won the 2003 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. It was Chapman's first NCAA Division III championship in any sport.

Taylor, who was named the most outstanding player of the championship, led his team in nine offensive categories in 2002-03, including batting average (.397), runs scored (43), hits (81) and doubles (17). During the championship tournament, Taylor hit .500 in the six games (13-for-26) with two doubles and seven runs batted in.

The Anaheim, California, native finished his career as the all-time Chapman leader in runs (174), hits (254), stolen bases (52) and total bases (344).

A business major, Taylor also was a member of Chapman's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Panthers' first-year head coach Tom Tereschuk said Taylor's attitude and work ethic are exemplary. "(Alex) is a complete ballplayer," said Tereschuk. "He sticks to business, he's always going hard, and he's just a tremendous ballplayer."

Cameron recently graduated from Thomas More with a degree in business and a 3.80 grade-point average. She recently was named a first team Verizon Academic all-America and all-District selection. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association also selected her as an All-America Scholar-Athlete in November.

The Erlanger, Kentucky, native finished her career as the school's all-time leader in doubles (28) and runs batted in (105), and established herself as the only player in school history with over 100 RBI. She also was second in average (.374), at-bats (447), runs (106), hits (167) and home runs (11).

In 2002-03, Cameron earned first-team all-Region honors as she batted .364 and led the team in home runs (11), RBI (41) and slugging percentage (.788), and played an error-free season in left field.

Said Everett Roper, head softball coach at Thomas More, "Stephanie is one of the main reasons Thomas More softball has been so successful over the last few years. She is incredibly driven to succeed and is a leader by example. She has demonstrated balance by performing at such a high level both on and off the field. Stephanie deserves everything she gets because of her hard work ethic, dedication and commitment."

The Association of Division III Independents consists of 20 Division III independent institutions that have come together to face the unique challenges that confront independent institutions. The Association strives to enhance communication and professional development among administrators of Division III independent institutions; contributes to effective participation by independent institutions in the Division III governance structure; and seeks equitable opportunities for participation in NCAA championships for student-athletes at its member institutions.