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 Senior Jennifer Gardner and juniors Natasha Moore and Tiffany Mack were honored by Black Issues In Higher Education by being named 2005 Sports Scholars. |
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April 12, 2005
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina University student-athletes Jennifer Gardner, Natasha Moore, and Tiffany Mack were honored by being named on the 2005 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars list as selected by Black Issues In Higher Education. The organization established the Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who have made achieving both academically and athletically a winning combination.
The trio of Catamounts were among the more than 400 overall student-athletes to be honored, with WCU having the most of any Southern Conference school.
Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Jr.'s, commitment to education, as well as his love for the game of tennis, the annual awards promote not only athletic ability, but also academic excellence and community activism. To be eligible, student-athletes must compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or higher, and be active both on their respective campuses and communities.
Senior forward Jennifer Gardner was named to the fourth team among the 40 women's basketball players honored nationwide. She concluded her outstanding Western career ranked in the top 10 in seven statistical categories. Over her four seasons, Gardner scored 1,362 points to rank eighth, and pulled down 890 rebounds to rank third on that WCU list. Gardner is only one of three Western Carolina players to ever score over 1,000 and tally 800-or-more rebounds in a career, joining the likes of Brenda Johnson (1974-77) and Emily Holliday (1983-86). Her 7.6 rebounds per game average ranks her fourth all-time. From the charity stripe, Gardner set a Western record by connecting on 444 free throws during her career on 564 attempts for 78.7-percent, both of which rank second in the WCU record books.
Last season, Gardner recorded 295 rebounds to rank third on the top single-season list, one board shy of tying Johnson for second. The Norcross, Ga., native also set the record for free throws made during a season, netting 147 of her fifth-place 184 attempts, which gave her a team-best 79.9-percent from the charity stripe, the seventh-highest ever at Western.
A Criminal Justice major, Gardner will graduate this spring. She has a cumulative GPA of 3.22 after securing a fall 3.56 average this past fall semester.
Junior Natasha Moore was tabbed third team for women's soccer, joining the 37 other soccer selections on the Sports Scholar team. Moore is a two-time TIAA-CREF Academic All-conference selection, earning the honor in the fall of 2003 and 2004.
Last season, Moore was only one of three Catamounts to start all 18 matches for former head coach Debbie Hensley. The Fountain Inn, S.C., native successfully made the move from the back line into the offense, ranking third on the team in points scored including three goals and four assists, the latter of which led the team. She collected the game-winning goal in Western's win over The Citadel in late October.
A Communication major, Moore has a cumulative GPA of 3.31 following her 3.33 performance in the classroom last fall.
Rounding out Western's selections to the Sports Scholars team was junior Tiffany Mack who was selected to the first team for women's track & field. She ranked in the top one-third of the 60 student-athletes selected from track & field competition.
Like Moore, Mack is a two-time honoree as she was twice named to the TIAA-CREF Academic All-conference team. She earned the distinction in the spring and winter of 2004 for both outdoor and indoor track.
During the indoor season, Mack ranked third in both the 55- and 60-meter hurdles on Western's time charts. Additionally, she finished the indoor year second on the triple jump distance lists (11.16m) and fourth in the long jump, leaping 5.32 meters at the SoCon Championships.
Thus far in the outdoor season, Mack currently ranks third on the seasonal charts in the 100-meter hurdles event with a time of 15.21. She is also a part of the third-ranked 400-meter relay team, while ranking second in the triple jump (11.12m) and third in the long jump (4.71m).
Mack, a double-major in Criminal Justice and Spanish, is holding down a cumulative GPA of 3.88 after registering a 3.89 last fall.
For more information about Black Issues In Higher Education or the Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholars program, please visit www.blackissues.com.
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