Six Cardinals Earn University Honors

4/24/2007 

Last Thursday evening The Catholic University of America held its Student Leadership Recognition Celebration.  Among the 27 undergraduate awards given out, seven were honored with six receiving individual recognition.  Kelli McErlean, a member of the track and field squad, was one of the masters of ceremonies and also received one of the twelve Student Activities Awards for her work with campus ministry.

Six other earned individual awards including:

John Mason
Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year
John Mason, a junior captain of the track and field squad, was named the Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year after working in the sports information office for the last three years.  Mason was chosen based on the criteria of quality of work, initiative and creativity.  He is one of the official stat keepers for almost every varsity sport on campus and plays a major role in the athletic department as being the only constant in an office that has seen a lot of turnover in recent years.  Mason is a dedicated worker who is a leader on the track and field team as well as in the office.

Ashley Woodworth
Frank Kuntz Award
Ashley Woodworth, a senior member of the cross country team, was given the Frank Kuntz Award for her work in numerous campus organizations.  Each year the award is presented to a graduating senior who has been active in a wide range of campus activities including devotion to the Church and service to the community.  Woodworth is known around campus for her service which has taken her all over the world.  She has done missions to both Jamaica and Belize along with volunteering at DC Reads, St. Anthony's Parish, St. Ann's Infant and Maternity home and on homeless runs here at home.  Woodworth is looking to do service beyond graduation and is currently deciding between a number of locations. 

Rachel Marrion
Martha Comiskey Memorial Award
Rachel Marrion, a senior captain of the softball squad, received the Martha Comiskey Memorial Award for her commitment to the CUA community.  The criterion includes a student devoted to the university who has the ability to motivate his or her fellow students and an unwavering commitment to CUA's goals.  Marrion has been the softball captain for the last three seasons.  Outside of athletics she volunteers at St. Ann's and in other Campus Ministry activities as well as serving as an ATLAS tutor.  Her strong leadership ability played a role in landing her an opportunity to travel to Africa with the Peace Corps after graduation.   

Kate Robinson
Zack S. Billotte Memorial Award
Kate Robinson, a freshman on both the basketball and lacrosse teams, was the first ever recipient of the Zack S. Billotte Memorial Award.  This was the first year that the honor was given out in memory of a CUA student who died unexpectedly during his senior year, 2006.  Billotte was the president of his freshman class at CUA so the honor is given to both a male a female first-year student who has been active in student life, academic pursuits and has demonstrated future leadership potential at CUA.  Robinson is one of those people as well.  She excelled in both basketball and lacrosse during her rookie campaign while earning the respect of her teammates and coaches for her dedication leadership.  Robinson comes from an athletic family and her experiences growing up have made her into a true student athlete and a role model for other freshmen on the court and in the classroom.

Nick Olivero
John J. Convey Award
Nick Olivero, a sophomore on the football and basketball squads, received the first ever John J. Convey Award.  The honor is named after the current provost who will be stepping back into full-time teaching this summer after serving as the chief academic officer for the last decade.  The award is given to a sophomore student who has been active in student life as well as academic pursuits and has demonstrated leadership potential.  Olivero is the example of this.  The sophomore was the only person to start both ways on the football squad and earned all conference honors.  He was also the team captain despite his underclassman status.  From football he had no time off moving into basketball season playing a major role for the 2007 Capital Athletic Conference Champions.  After completing basketball, Olivero has little rest as he prepares for spring football and summer workouts.  While excelling at two sports, Olivero also works with Campus Ministry while holding one of the highest GPA's on either team.  He is a leader by example in every way.

The night concluded with the announcement of the President's Award which is the highest honor given to one graduating senior each year.  This year's winner is Megan Payne, a senior on the field hockey squad.  She will officially receive the award at the graduation ceremony.