de Barros Named LMU Male Athlete of the Year
Lincoln Memorial University men’s soccer junior Leonardo de Barros (Brasilia, Brazil) was named Male Athlete of the Year at the University’s annual Athletics Banquet held on the LMU campus.
A 6’2” midfielder, de Barros helped lead the Railsplitters to an Appalachian Region Championship in the fall of 2006 and a victory over Northern Kentucky University in the NCAA Division II Elite 8. In November, de Barros and his Railsplitter teammates participated in the 2006 NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Final Four in Pensacola, Florida where they lost to defending national champion, Fort Lewis 4-2.
During the 2006 season de Barros scored 7 goals and contributed 10 assists for a total of 24 points while helping the Railsplitters finish 15-2-3 on the year. de Barros is tied for 5th all-time in game-winning-goals with former Railsplitter Eddie Escobar (5), ranks 9th in career assists (15) and is 4th all-time in assists per match with 0.43 per match in 35 matches.
Next season Leonardo de Barros will be one of six returning seniors that will try to lead the Railsplitters to a repeat of their 2006 regional crown and what will hopefully be their first ever South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship The 2007 schedule begins August 24 when the Railsplitter host the University of Charleston from West Virginia.
Sokolova Named LMU Female Athlete of the Year
LMU women’s tennis senior Helena Sokolova (Kosice, Slovakia) was named Female Athlete of the Year at the University’s annual athletics banquet held Monday evening on the LMU campus.
Sokolova, a four-year letter winner and two-time All-American at LMU, finished the 2007 spring schedule with an individual record of 17-1 and was ranked as high as #15 nationally in NCAA Division II women’s tennis this year.
Throughout her four-year career as a Lady Railsplitter tennis player, Sokolova has compiled a 60-5 overall mark in singles and an overall doubles record of 63-17 from the #1 and #2 positions.
Some of Sokolova’s other accomplishments while an athlete at Lincoln Memorial University include being named to the University’s Dean’s List, the Gulf South Conference Academic Honor Roll, GSC Eastern Division Freshman of the Year and being named to three consecutive All-Gulf South Conference Teams.
Although the Lady Railsplitters weren’t conference eligible this season in the South Atlantic Conference and didn’t qualify for the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, the LMU women had a successful season, finishing the year with an overall record of 11-9. Sokolova is a Kinesiology major and will receive her degree in during the May commencement ceremonies at LMU.
Benton Receives President’s Award
Lincoln Memorial University women’s basketball player Heather Benton (Wooton, Ky.) has been presented with the University’s Presidents Award.
The award is given to a student-athlete that has overcome some type of adversity or has undergone a tragedy of some kind during the current season. During the 2006-07 basketball season, Benton’s father passed away in Leslie County, Kentucky. Although the former Leslie County standout missed two games due to her father’s death, the 6’0” junior returned to finish the year and ended the season as the Lady Railsplitter’s third leading scorer and the team’s second leading rebounder, dropping in 9.3 points per game and pulling 5.3 rebounds per night.
The Lady Railsplitters finished the 2006-07 season with a 14-15 overall record and were eliminated in the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament. Next season Benton will return for the 2007-08 campaign as one of three returning seniors in what will be a new era of Lady Railsplitter basketball under the direction of newly hired Head Coach, Larry Just.
Winney and Henn LMU Female Newcomers of the Year
Basketball freshman Andi Winney (Yorktown, Ind.) and softball freshman Sara Henn (Kettering, Ohio) were named Monday night as LMU’s Co-Female Newcomers of the Year at the University’s annual athletics banquet.
Winney, a 6’1” center from Yorktown High School in Yorktown, Indiana was the second leading scorer on the Lady Railsplitter basketball team this year averaging 10.7 points per game and pulling a team-best 7.3 rebounds each night. Starting in 25 of the 29 games in which the Lincoln Memorial women competed this season, Winney helped the Lady Railsplitters to a 14-15 season finish, falling in the second game of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament to Wingate University.
Henn, a 5’7” third baseman, has been an immediate impact on the Lady Railsplitter softball program this year. The former Kettering Fairmont High School standout presently has the second highest batting average on the Lady Railsplitter squad, hitting .386 while recording 66 hits, 14 doubles and 13 homeruns this season in addition to a team-best 49 runs batted in. Henn and her Lady Railsplitter teammates have a season record of 33-18-1 with four games remaining on the 2007 schedule.
Winney is in her first year of majoring in Veterinary Technology at Lincoln Memorial University while Henn is pursuing a degree in Athletic Training. Winney will be the top returnee for the LMU women’s basketball team next season under the direction of newly hired Head Coach Larry Just while Henn will also be a top returnee and will help the Lady Splitter softball team compete in their first year of eligibility in the South Atlantic Conference.
Pereira Named LMU Male Newcomer of the Year
Men’s soccer forward Leandro Pereira (Brasilia, Brazil) was named Male Newcomer of the Year at the University’s annual athletics banquet. The award is given each year to the male and female student-athletes that have been the biggest impact on their respective program in their first year of play for that team.
A 6’2” freshman, during the 2006 season Pereira helped the Railsplitters win NCAA Appalachian Region Championship, an Elite 8 Championship and earn a spot in the 2006 NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Final Four in Pensacola, Florida while scoring 22 goals and 9 assists to lead the Railsplitters in total points.
For his efforts on the field, Pereira was named to the 2006 Appalachian Region All-Tournament Team, to the 2006 Daktronics All-Appalachian Region First Team, 2006 Appalachian Region Player of the Year and 2006 NSCAA First Team All-American.
This year’s Railsplitter soccer squad finished the season with a 15-2-3 record and was the first ever LMU men’s soccer team to make an appearance in the NCAA post-season tournament and only the University’s second team to ever reach the a national final four.
Burkon and Kern are Recipients of B. Frank Turner Award
Lincoln Memorial University men’s tennis senior Lukas Burkon (Letovice, Czech Republic) was awarded the coveted B. Frank Turner Award. The award is given each year to a male and female athlete that best exemplify athletic ability, academic excellence and good citizenship.
Burkon, a four-year letterman in tennis at Lincoln Memorial University, ended the 2007 season with a 10-2 record. During his career at LMU, Burkon had a four-year record of 46-12 and was named to the All-Gulf South Conference Team and GSC Freshman of the Year while leading the Railsplitters to NCAA Division II Post Season Tournament appearances in three of his four year of collegiate eligibility.
As a student, Burkon is a Business major with an excellent GPA and will receive his degree this May during commencement ceremonies at Lincoln Memorial University. He ends his career at LMU with the most wins of any LMU male tennis player with 46, for a .793 winning percentage, surpassing former teammate Peter Kurhajec who finished his career last season with 38.
Women’s cross country runner Cherie Kern (Knoxville, Tenn.) is this year's female recipient of the B. Frank Turner Award.
Kern, a four-year letter winner at Lincoln Memorial University in women’s cross country, helped the Lady Railsplitters complete the 2006-07 schedule with finishes no lower than 5th place this season in any meet in which they participated. On two different occasions the Lady Railsplitters took 1st place, in the Mountain Top Classic and in the Brevard Invitational. The women’s cross country team iced the season with 2nd place finishes in the South Atlantic Conference Championship and the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional, before competing in the NCAA National Championship in Pensacola, Florida where they finished 24th.
Academically, Kern is an athletic training major, a member of the LMU Student Athletic Trainers Association and will be receiving her undergraduate degree this May. She has also been involved with Lincoln Memorial University’s A.B.L.E. program, (Athletes Being Leaders in Education). The program allows the University’s student-athletes to visit with area elementary school children to help them with reading skills. Kern is one of three seniors on this year’s LMU women’s cross country squad.
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