University of Minnesota Athletics
Dorniden, Decker Receive Scholar-Athlete Awards
10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The University of Minnesota Athletics Department honored its best and brightest Sunday night during the Golden Gopher Fund Annual Banquet held in the DQ Club Room at TCF Bank Stadium.
Student-athletes Heather Dorniden (track & field) and Eric Decker (football) took top billing and where named the 2009 recipients of the Patty Berg Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award and the Henry Williams Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award, respectively, in front of a capacity crowd of more than 350.
The scholar-athlete awards pay tribute to the legacy 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, and have demonstrated academic and athletic success while exemplifying the core values of pride, personal integrity, respect for human dignity and loyalty.
A native of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., Dorniden has been the embodiment of the term student-athlete during her Golden Gopher career.
A nine-time track & field All-American, Dorniden became the first Minnesota women's track & field athlete to win an NCAA title, capturing the indoor 800-meter crown in 2006. Her name appears throughout the Minnesota record book, including nine school-best marks.
Also a standout performer on the cross country course, Dorniden is a two-time NCAA All-Midwest region honoree and helped the Gophers attain three top-12 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
Overall, she was a key performer as the Gophers claimed six Big Ten team cross country or track & field titles during her career.
On track to graduate this December with a degree in kinesiology, Dorniden has compiled a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average in the classroom, earning Academic All-America honors, two Minnesota Top-Five academic awards and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
A senior wide receiver on the Gopher football team, Decker's accomplishments on the gridiron and baseball diamond are matched by his achievement in the classroom, where he is an Academic All-District honoree and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Decker, a product of Cold Spring, Minn., currently ranks among college football's leaders in both receptions and receiving yards per game. He is also a leading contender for All-America honors as well as the Biletnikoff Award, which is annually presented to the nation's best college receiver.
Already Minnesota's all-time leader in career receptions, receiving yards and 100-yard receiving games, Decker also owns the Gophers' single-season and single-game records for receptions.
A unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection in football following the 2008 campaign, Decker went on to hit .319 for the Gopher baseball team last spring, with four home runs, 13 doubles, three triples and 25 RBIs while earning a spot on the All-Big Ten baseball team.
Decker earned his bachelor's degree in business marketing education over the summer and is currently enrolled in the applied kinesiology master's program with an emphasis in sports management.
The event, which was emceed by Gopher women's basketball alum and current CEO of AbleNet Jennifer (nee Zeller) Thalhuber (1989-92), also honored Nancy and John Lindahl for their leadership, generosity and devotion to Golden Gopher Athletics with the Director's Award.
The Director's Award was established in 2002 as a means for the athletic director to recognize external leaders in gratitude for their outstanding service and commitment to the University of Minnesota Athletics program and its student-athletes.
Minnesota continues work on a critical initiative, FOREVER GOLD, to endow all student-athlete scholarships. Endowed scholarship donors were recognized at the banquet, while 180 Golden Gopher student-athletes were presented with endowed scholarships during the event.
Golden Gopher Fund Annual Banquet Awards
Patty Berg Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award: Heather Dorniden
Henry Williams Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award: Eric Decker
Director's Award: Nancy and John Lindahl
