May 10, 2006

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - This past Sunday marked the annual Celebration of Excellence Banquet where Lindsey Sherburne (senior, volleyball) was named the Torero female athlete of the year, and Pierrick Ysern (senior, men's tennis) was named the Torero male athlete of the year.

Lindsey is the WCC All-Time assists leader with 6,014 and is a two-time first-team All-WCC athlete. She also received 2005 AVCA All-Pacific Region honorable mention. Sherburne finished the regular season ranked fourth in assists in NCAA Division I history with a career average of 13.88 assists per game.

Last Spring, Ysern finished as the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis national runner-up with a tournament record of 5-1. This season, he has led San Diego to the NCAA team regional tournament for a fourth straight year where he will represent the Toreros in both singles and doubles competition in weeks to come. Pierrick is a three-time All-WCC selection and a 2005 NCAA All-American.

Other award recipients included Polly Dong who was honored with the Student-Athlete Advisory Council Leadership Award for her coordination of career development and community service activities. Dong is a team captain of the women's basketball team, a member of USD's leadership council, a mentor at Kimborough Elementary School, and a scholar athlete.

Pierrick Ysern earns the Torero Male athlete of the Year award

Rachel Earlandsen of the women's cross country team earned the Toreros Linking to the Community Award for her service to the community. Earlandsen was selected to represent the University of San Diego in Honduras this past year. Earlandsen taught and assisted in a unique foster/orphan child population while on her trip, which was hailed a success.

The university's faculty athletic representative, Dr. Mitch Malachowski, had the honor of announcing the student athletes with the highest GPA. To be considered for this award, a student athlete must have at least 24 graded units. Pat O'Neill of the football team received the award for the sophomore with the highest GPA, a 3.81. Brittany Young of the women's soccer team had a 3.725 receiving the award for the junior with the highest GPA. From the senior class, Philip Bretsch of the football team had a 3.82 GPA. While the student athlete with the highest GPA of all athletes was Evan Harney of the football team who had a 3.92 GPA.

The seniors all received gifts for their commitment and excellence to USD Athletics, while every student received a copy of the highlight video recapping all the sports from the 2005-2006 season.