KANSAS CITY, MO.---Nebraska Wesleyan University student-athletes Gina Morgan, an All-American distance runner, and Bret Blake, a multi-sport athlete in track and football, were named today as the recipients of the 2003-04 Association of Division III Independents Student-Athlete of the Year awards.

This is the second year the association has honored student-athletes from independent institutions with an annual award. All student-athletes from the Association’s 20 members were eligible for the award. Each school was allowed to nominate its top male and female student-athletes. The award recipients were selected after a vote of the Association’s Student-Athlete Recognition Committee.

“We are proud to honor two student-athletes who are very deserving of our Association’s highest award,” said Dick Strockbine, president of the Association of Division III Independents and director of athletics at the University of Dallas. “Recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of student-athletes from independent institutions is very important to our members, and we congratulate Gina and Bret on this great honor.”

A senior from Lincoln, NE, Morgan earned CoSIDA first team Academic All-America honors (4.0 grade-point average in biology) and received more votes than any female award winner on the District VII ballot. During her career, she earned five All-America honors, including four during the 2003-04 season (cross country, indoor 5,000-meters, outdoor 5,000-meters and outdoor 10,000-meters). Morgan finished second to Wartburg’s Missy Buttry at the 2003 Central Region Cross Country Championships, and placed 11th at the 2003 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships to become the first female two-time All-American in NWU cross country history. She earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for her athletic and academic achievements. All told, Morgan holds six school records in track and cross country combined.

“Gina’s senior season made her easily the best female distance runner in Nebraska Wesleyan history,” said Dr. Ted Bulling, Director of Track & Cross Country at Nebraska Wesleyan. “Gina epitomizes the classic Nebraska Wesleyan student-athlete. She competed at a very high level and excelled academically.”

Blake, a senior from Lincoln, NE, repeated as the 55-meter indoor champion at the NCAA Div. III Indoor Track & Field Championships and won the 200-meters at the Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2004 to become the first male athlete at NWU to win four national titles in his track and field career. He also was national runner-up in the 100 meters. Although he struggled with tightness in one of his hamstrings before and during the outdoor championships, he still managed to score 18 of his team’s 39 points en route to NCAA Central Region Outdoor Male Athlete-of-the-Year honors. The team’s second-place showing marked the highest outdoor finish in school history for the men.

“Bret has emerged as the fastest athlete in NCAA Division III,” said Dr. Bulling. “His outdoor performance this year, how he struggled with his hamstring but still managed to win the 200 and finish second in the 100, will be remembered for a long time.”

Blake also led the football team with 41 receptions last fall. He finished with 551 receiving yards and four touchdowns. For 2003-04, Blake was named the Lincoln
Journal Star State College Athlete of the Year.

“To be a dual-sport athlete and compete at that level takes a special person,” said head football coach Brian Keller. “Bret served as one of our co-captains last fall and certainly led the team well. This is a great honor.”

Matt Bahl, a basketball student-athlete at Colorado College, and Melody Bongiorno, a basketball and track student-athlete from Chapman University, finished runner-up in the voting.

The Association of Division III Independents consists of 20 Division III independent institutions that have come together to face the unique challenges that confront independent institutions. The Association strives to enhance communication and professional development among administrators of Division III independent institutions; contributes to effective participation by independent institutions in the Division III governance structure; and seeks equitable opportunities for participation in NCAA championships for student-athletes at its member institutions.

More information about the Association of Division III Independents is available at http://www.d3independents.org.

Gina Morgan	Bret Blake

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