Jan. 13, 2008
Nashville, Tenn. – Georgia Tech’s Roberto Castro, a four-time All-American and four-time all-conference golfer, was one of eight recipients of the Top VIII Award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Sunday night at the NCAA’s Honors Celebration at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center.
The NCAA honors eight student-athletes each year out of nominees from every sport, recognizing those who excel in their sport, in the classroom, and exhibit high character, leadership and service to others. These student-athletes will be recognized at the NCAA Honors Celebration on Sunday, January 13, at the 2008 NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
Castro, who graduated last spring with high honor in industrial engineering and won the 2007 Byron Nelson Award, is just the second men’s golfer ever to win an NCAA Top VIII Award – the other was the Yellow Jackets’ Bryce Molder in 2002. They also are the only two Georgia Tech athletes ever to be so honored.
The other recipients included Rachel Buehler of Stanford (human biology), an all-Pac-10 soccer star; quarterback Dennis Dixon of Oregon (sociology), a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Awards; volleyball player Sarah Pavan of Nebraska (biochemistry), a three-time first-team All-American; swimmer Ben Wildman-Tobriner of Stanford (biomechanical engineering), who has earned 20 All-American honors; Lisa Winkle of Calvin College (mathematics/secondary education), an All-American in basketball and in track and field; diver Jamie Wolf of Clarion University, a seven-time Division II national champion; and Sarah Zerzan of Willamette University (chemistry), a three-time All-American in track and field and a two-time Division II national champion in cross country.
Also sharing the stage on this night were Silver Anniversary Award winners Theresa Andrews (Yale, swimming and diving), Todd Blackledge (Penn State, football), the Honorable Cormac J. Carney (UCLA, football), Anne Donovan (Old Dominion, basketball), Dot Richardson, M.D. (UCLA, softball and basketball), Robin Roberts (Southeastern Louisiana, basketball) and Bob Woodruff (Colgate, lacrosse)
Jim McLaren, former Yale football and lacrosse star, received the NCAA’s Inspiration Award. The Honorable John Glenn, U.S. Senator from Ohio and U.S. Astronaut, received the Theodore Roosevelt Award. Second Lt. Emily Perez (U.S. Military Academy, track and field) and Major Doug Zembiec (U.S. Naval Academy, wrestling), both of whom died in the line of duty in Iraq, received Awards of Valor. The NCAA Honors Celebration will be aired on ESPN2, Friday, Feb. 1, from 3-4 p.m.
