April 18, 2005
ATLANTA–All-America volleyball player Jayme Gergen and football standout Nate Curry received the Georgia Tech Athletic Association’s highest honor, the Total Person Award, at the annual Yellow Jacket Celebration, held Monday evening.
The Total Person Awards are presented annually to the male and female senior student-athletes who best exemplify excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and service. Gergen, from Topeka, Kansas, earned all-conference and all-America honors in leading the Tech volleyball program to four straight NCAA Tournaments. She is a Dean’s List student and academic all-district honoree majoring in Psychology. Curry, from Miami, Fla., was a standout wide receiver for the Yellow Jackets, and a Dean’s List student who has already earned one degree from Tech and begun work toward another while participating in numerous community service endeavors.
Curry also received Captain’s Captain Award from the Georgia Tech Letterwinners’ Club.
Former Tech football player Chuck Easley, who lettered as a fullback from 1983-85, was honored with the Total Person Alumnus Award. Easley graduated from Tech with a degree in Industrial Management in 1986 and is now a Senior Principal with Kurt Salmon Associates, Inc., an international management consulting firm.
Zeb Sion, a senior from Pocatello, Idaho and an ACC champion in the shotput, received the Robert Cup as Tech’s top senior student athlete.
All-ACC basketball standout Jarrett Jack received the Delta Air Lines Partners in Leadership Award.
Steven Blackwood, an outfielder on Tech’s fourth-ranked baseball team who currently leads the ACC in runs batted in and a Biology major, and all-ACC track performer Shanta Smith, a Management major, were awarded the Bobby Dodd Scholarships for 2005-06, recognizing Tech’s top returning scholar-athletes.
Special Recognition Awards were given to three-time NCAA champion high jumper Chaunte Howard; all-America softball pitcher Jessica Sallinger, the ACC career strikeout leader; three-time all-America volleyball player Lynnette Moster; three-time all-America golfer Nicholas Thompson, and three-time ACC track champion Brian Ford, the President of the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board.
The Georgia Tech All-Academic Team recognizes the top scholar on each team: Kelly Anderson (women’s tennis), Kira Barcus (women’s track), Ann Battle (women’s swimming), Roberto Castro (golf), Jordan Crews (baseball), Barton Crist (men’s cross country), Matthew Figh (men’s swimming), Kristina Hull (softball), Jennifer Lentz (women’s cross country), Lori Beth Morris (cheerleading), Taylor Narewski (men’s track), Cheytoria Phillips (women’s basketball), Zachary Rath (men’s tennis), Lauren Sauer (volleyball), Kevin Tuminello (football), Mario West (men’s basketball).
Also recognized were the All-ACC Top Six for Service: Nate Curry (football), Brian Ford (track), David Herren (track), Kristina Hull (softball), Andriane Lapsley (track), and Cheytoria Phillips (women’s basketball). Swimmer Jennifer Christenson and golfer Roberto Castro received ACC Scholar Athlete Awards.
Colonel Hugh Hardison received the Faculty/Staff Recognition Award.
