April 6, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Irish senior cross country co-captain Kelly Peterson earned top honors Tuesday night at the seventh annual Academic Excellence Awards Dinner organized by the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes and sponsored by the Athletic Department.
The dinner, held in the concourse of the Joyce Center, honored the 410 student-athletes who possess a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average or higher. Also honored were the student-athletes on each varsity team with the highest cumulative GPA (trainers, managers and cheerleaders included), plus the teams with the highest combined GPAs in each semester.
Lou Nanni – executive director of the South Bend Center for the Homeless — served as guest speaker.
Peterson, an English and anthropology double major (in the College of Arts and Letters) from Escondido, Calif., was honored as the graduating senior with the highest cumulative GPA (3.945). She’s a two-time cross country letterwinner who also competes in track.
Seven athletes were cited for earning 4.0 grade-point averages during the ’98 spring semester — Cindy Harding (cheerleading, senior, Naperville, Ill.), Phil Murphy (soccer, senior, Brentwood, Tenn.), Mike Naumann (baseball, sophomore, Tucson, Ariz.), Steve Kane (fencing, junior, Cincinnati, Ohio), Andy Jurkowski (hockey, junior, Madison, Wis.), Matt Hedden (swimming, sophomore, Westerville, Ohio) and Nate Andrulonis (track, sophomore, Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Reaching the 4.0 mark in the ’98 fall semester were Andy Warford (tennis, senior, Bismarck, N.D.), Brittany Kline (swimming, senior, Crystal Lake, Ill.), Hilary Burn (track, freshman, Ottawa, Ont.), Dana McSherry (track, junior, Merrick, N.Y.), Leah Ashe (rowing, sophomore, Orchard Park, N.Y.), Lezlie Potter (rowing, senior, Englewood, Colo.), Murphy, Hedden and Andrulonis.
Honored for having the highest cumulative averages among first-year students were Burn, Adam Tibble (football) and Kim Rubeis (lacrosse).
The teams with the highest combined GPAs were men’s golf in the spring ’98 semester at 3.2 and women’s lacrosse in the fall ’98 semester at 3.37.
Here are the individuals with the top cumulative GPAs by sport:
(must have achieved upper-class status)
Baseball Mike Naumann Sophomore Tucson, AZMen's Basketball Dennis Carroll Senior LaGrange, ILWomen's Basketball Ruth Riley Sophomore Macy, INCheerleading Cindy Harding Senior Naperville, ILMen's Fencing Steve Kane Junior Cincinnati, OHWomen's Fencing Carianne McCullough Sophomore Philadelphia, PAFootball James Caputo Junior Chatham, NJMen's Golf Jeff Connell Junior Lacrosse, WI Women's Golf Beth Cooper Junior Kalamazoo, MIHockey Andy Jurkowski Junior Madison, WIMen's Lacrosse Steve Fiamingo Junior Cincinnati, OHWomen's Lacrosse Carrie Marshall Sophomore Monument, CO Managers Jim Brockmole Senior Dauphin, PARowing Leah Ashe Sophomore Orchard Park, NYSoftball Danielle Klayman Sophomore San Diego, CA Men's Soccer Phil Murphy Senior Brentwood, TNWomen's Soccer Monica Gonzalez Sophomore Richardson, TXMen's Swimming Matt Hedden Sophomore Westerville, OHWomen's Swimming Rhiana Saunders Junior The Woodlands, TXMen's Tennis Andy Warford Senior Bismarck, NDWomen's Tennis Jennifer Hall Senior Oklahoma City, OKMen's Track Nate Andrulonis Sophomore Pittsburgh, PAWomen's Track Kelly Peterson Senior Escondido, CATrainers Kristen Spellacy Junior Mayfield Heights, OH Volleyball Lindsay Treadwell Senior Austin, TX