University of Minnesota Athletics
Nohelty and Shaughnessy Honored at Annual Banquet
10/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The scholar-athlete awards serve to carry on the legacy and names of Patty Berg and Henry Williams and honor student-athletes who exemplify the core values of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics. An honoree must be on a full or partial scholarship, preferably a senior on track to graduate, who has demonstrated academic and athletic success and exemplifies the core values of pride, personal integrity, respect for human dignity and loyalty. Shaughnessy was the recipient of the Patty Berg Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award, while Nohelty received the Henry Williams Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award.
Shaughnessy has received athletic recognition in each of her three seasons with the Gophers, including All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors. A two-time team captain, Shaughnessy helped the Gophers to a Big Ten Championship in 2008 when she won the 400 individual medley and was a member of the winning 800 free relay for the third-consecutive year. As a junior, Shaughnessy was also a three-time All-American and a seven-time honoree throughout her collegiate career. As a freshman, she was named the team's most improved, while garnering the team's most valuable player her her sophomore campaign. She has made her mark in the Gopher record-books, holding thee individual school records in the 200 free and the 200 and 400 IMs and is a member of the 400 and 800 relays that also established school's best times. Equally dedicated in the classroom, the kinesiology major has earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition each of the last two seasons and is a CSCAA Academic All-American.
Nohelty has received First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a centerfielder the last two seasons. This past year, he was named a First-Team Academic All-America. Nohelty also received Third-Team honors in 2007. Last year, Nohelty batted .397 with 53 runs, 94 hits, 39 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He finished second in the Big Ten in hits, third in batting average, fifth in runs and tied for sixth in triples. His .397 batting average was the best by a Golden Gopher hitter since 2001 and the the 94 hits he collected in 2008 were the most since 1999. Nohelty is currently fourth on the Minnesota career hits list at .377 and fourth in stolen bases at 66. In the classroom, the computer science major has also been a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a two-time Academic All-American, has received the Top V Award at Minnesota and has been named and received the President's Award for leadership.
Minnesota continues work on a critical initiative, FOREVER GOLD, to endow all student-athlete scholarships. Endowed scholarship donors were recognized at the banquet, while over 160 Golden Gopher student-athletes were awarded endowed scholarships.
The Director’s Award was established in 2002 as a means for the athletic director to recognize external leaders in gratitude for their outstanding generosity, service and commitment to the University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics program and its student-athletes. This year's honoree was Beniares, who is a lifetime supporter of Gopher athletics.
