March 7, 2007
ATLANTA–All-America golfer Roberto Castro, all-conference tennis player Alison Silverio, softball standout Kristina Hull and swimmer Ofer Finkler have been honored for their academic and athletic excellence with Atlantic Coast Conference Postgraduate Awards.
Silverio, Hull and Finkler will receive Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarships, consistently of $5,000 to use towards graduate education. Student-athletes receiving the award have performed with distinction in both the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
Castro is one of nine recipients of the Weaver-James-Corrigan honorary awards, which recognize ACC student-athletes who have demonstrated outstanding performance in both athletic competition and the classroom throughout their collegiate careers and intend to compete at the Olympic or professional level rather than attend graduate school.
Weaver-James-Corrigan Award Recipients are as follows: Boston College – Allison Amanda Anderson (volleyball), Robert G. Dittrich (baseball); Clemson – Sarah Irene Cefalu (swimming & diving), Brittany Gamble (rowing), J. Thomas Hunter (football); Duke – Leigh Turner Jester (lacrosse), Cara Lynn Lopresti (field hockey), Shannon Nicole Rowbury (cross country/track & field); Florida State – Sarah Reyne Griffin (volleyball), Alex W. Kennon (swimming), Kelly A. Rowland (soccer); Georgia Tech – Ofer Finkler (swimming & diving), Kristina Kaye Hull (softball), Alison Jo Silverio (tennis); Maryland – Paula Infante (field hockey), Kristina Keegan (track & field), Adam B. Podlesh (football); Miami – Heather Nicole Bounds (diving), Valerie Anne Webb (rowing), Karen Louise Wiley (rowing); North Carolina – Anna Victoria Evans (softball), Courtney Allison Krolokoski (fencing), Kathryn Louise Miller (golf); NC State – Shaina M. Ervin (softball), William Morgan Lee (football); Virginia – Ryan M. Burke (soccer), Andrew Spencer Dumm (cross country); Virginia Tech – Coleman Alexander Collins (basketball), Lindsay Parks Pieper (lacrosse), Mallory Jo Soldner (soccer); Wake Forest – Lauren Elizabeth Crandall (field hockey), Michelle Marie Sikes (cross country/track & field), Jamie Glynn Whitten (field hockey).
Jim and Pat Thacker Award Recipients are as follows: Boston College – Jennifer Elizabeth Maurer (soccer); NC State – Georgia Kay Davis (cross country); Virginia – Meredith Lee Lazarus (lacrosse).
Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award Recipients are as follows: Clemson – Rebecca B. Myer (soccer); Duke – Anna Grzebien (golf); Florida State – Thomas Lancashire (cross country/track & field); Georgia Tech – Roberto Mario Castro (golf); Maryland – Joshua Matthew Wilson (football); North Carolina – Heather Ann O’Reilly (soccer); NC State – Jemissa Leanne Hess (cross country/track & field); Virginia – Adam Whipp Cristman (soccer); Virginia Tech – Brandon Kyle Pace (football).
Ofer Finkler, Swimming, Georgia Tech
A member of the school-record relay teams in the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays … Achieved an NCAA B standard in the 200 freestyle relay at the 2007 ACC Championships … Was named to the 2006 ACC All-Academic Men’s Swimming & Diving team … A two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection … 2006 Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-America Honorable Mention pick … 2006 Georgia Tech Tommy Towles Scholar-Athlete Award recipient … Serves as a teaching assistant for computer and mechanical engineering courses … A member of the Israeli national swimming team since 2000 … A member of HKN, an electrical and computer engineering honor society . . . Majoring in Electrical Engineering.
Kristina Hull, Softball, Georgia Tech
Recipient of Georgia Tech’s “Hardest Worker” award for three straight years … Helped Georgia Tech to three straight NCAA Tournament berths … Was a member of the Yellow Jackets’ 2005 ACC regular season and tournament championship team … Was named to the 2006 ACC All-Academic Softball team … 2006 ACC Top Six for Service Award recipient … A two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection … A three-year member of the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board, serving as President for 2006-07 . . . Majoring in Science, Technology and Culture.
Alison Silverio, Tennis, Georgia Tech
An All-ACC performer on the tennis court and in the classroom for Georgia Tech’s nationally-ranked women’s tennis program … Helped Georgia Tech achieve a No. 1 national ranking for the first time in school history in 2007 … A 2006 ACC All-Academic team pick … A 2005 All-ACC selection . . . Was named the 2005 ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player, leading Georgia Tech to the first of back-to-back ACC titles … Ranks in the top five in school history in career singles and doubles victories … Finished the 2005-06 season as the No. 77-ranked singles player in the nation … Qualified for the 2005 NCAA Doubles Championship as part of the first Georgia Tech doubles team ever to participate in the NCAA Championships … Serves on the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board . . . Majoring in Management.
Roberto Castro, Golf, Georgia Tech
A three-time All-American, including first-team honors in 2005, following a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships … A three-time All-ACC pick … ACC Rookie of the Year in 2004 … Has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index … Entered his final spring campaign with a career stroke average of 72.01, which currently ranks among the five best in Georgia Tech history … Member of the United States Palmer Cup Team in 2005 and 2006, and served as team captain in 2005 … A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, including first-team honors in 2006 … A member of the ACC All-Academic Golf team in 2006, as well as a three-time ACC Honor Roll selection … Was a Golf Coaches’ Association of America (GCAA) All-America Scholar in 2006 … Member of the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board . . . Industrial Engineering major.
