Tech's Bradley Thompson one of six to earn OVC Scholar-Athlete honor
NASHVILLE, Tenn, -- Tennessee Tech University junior Bradley
Thompson is one of six individuals selected by the Ohio Valley
Conference to receive its prestigious Scholar-Athlete Award for
2007-08.
A native of Jamestown, Tenn., Thompson is a defensive lineman on
the Golden Eagle football team, and has previously earned
back-to-back Academic All-District honors in 2007 and 2008.
The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC
student-athletes, and is given annually to three men and three
women student-athletes of junior or senior status for their
accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and
because of their leadership qualities.
The six winners were selected from a group of 19 finalists by a
vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have
performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.25
grade point average and conducted themselves in a manner which has
brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution,
intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on
academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the
2007-08 school year.
The 2007-08 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete winners are:
* Lesley Binning of Jacksonville State University (cross
country/track and field)
* Carrie Burggraf of Austin Peay State University (track and
field)
* Amber Guffey of Murray State University (women's basketball)
* Brian Morrell of Eastern Illinois University (baseball)
* Bradley Thompson of Tennessee Technological University
(football)
* Andrey Yesipov of the University of Tennessee at Martin (men's
tennis)
Thompson completed his fourth year with the Tennessee Tech football
team in 2008, progressing from a walk-on to a starter on the
defensive line for the Golden Eagles. In 2007 he played in 11
games, starting six contests. He had 27 total tackles, 3.5
tackles-for-loss, a sack, a forced fumble and two quarterback
hurries.
In the classroom Thompson has a 3.969 grade point average in
mechanical engineering. He was selected to the ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-District team in 2007, and repeated that honor in
2008). Thompson has earned multiple OVC Medal of Honors and
Commissioner Honor Roll selections and has made the Tennessee Tech
Dean's List and Athletic Director's Honor Roll for six consecutive
semesters entering 2008-09.
He is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Pi
Tau Sigma mechanical engineering honor society and the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Here is a brief bio on each of the other five winners:
Lesley Binning - Lesley Binning is in her fourth year at
Jacksonville State where she is a member of the cross country and
track and field programs and has been the team's No. 1 distance
runner. With the track and field team, Binning has been an All-OVC
selection in 2007 and 2008. She placed third in the 10,000 meters
at the 2008 OVC Outdoor Championships after finishing seventh in
the 5,000 meters at the Indoor Championships. She also had
fourth-place finishes in the 5,000 meters at the 2006 Indoor
Championship as well as the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the 2006
Outdoor Championship. She also holds the Jax State school records
in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters in indoor competition and the 5,000
meters in outdoor track and field. In four years with the Gamecocks
cross country squad, she set program records for both 5K and 6K
distances. In the classroom Binning has a perfect 4.00 grade point
average in exercise science/wellness, health and physical
education. She has been a recipient of the OVC Medal of Honor three
times, the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll three times and the JSU
President's List three times. Binning is also a member of JSU's
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well as the Health, Physical
Education and Recreation Club (where she was Co-President in Spring
2008). Binning is a native of Mitchell, Ontario, Canada.
Carrie Burggraf - Carrie Burggraf is a member of the Austin Peay
track and field team where she competes in pole vault. Last season
she capped off her junior campaign by winning the 2008 OVC Outdoor
pole vault championship and setting a championship record in the
process (12'3 ?"). She was also a participant at the 2008 Mideast
Regional meet. That followed a sophomore season that saw her finish
fifth in each the Indoor and Outdoor OVC Championships in pole
vault. In the classroom Burggraf has compiled a 4.00 grade point
average in political science (with a minor in history and English
writing). She has earned the OVC Medal of Honor twice as well as
being named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll twice. Burggraf
has also been an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection
and a USTFCCCA All-Academic pick. She has been named to the Austin
Peay President's and Dean's List multiple times. Burggraf is a
member of Gamma Beta Phi (for being in the top 15% of her class),
the Phi Alpha Theta history honors society, the Founder's Circle of
the Pre-Law Society, the History Club, the Campus Safety Committee
and serves as a Disability Services note-taker. She is a native of
Marion, Ohio.
Amber Guffey - Amber Guffey is in her fourth year with the Murray
State basketball team and helped lead the Racers to its first OVC
Tournament Championship in 2008 on her way to Tournament MVP
honors. As a junior she was a first-team All-OVC selection and
ranked third in the OVC in scoring (17.7/game) and assists
(4.3/game), second in free throw percentage (89.1%, which ranked
6th nationally) and fourth in 3-point percentage (43.6%). During
the year Guffey set school records for free throws made in a game
(18), free throws made in a season (179) and 3-pointers made in a
season (72). She also became a member of the program's 1,000-point
club. In the classroom she has a 3.97 grade point average in health
and physical education. Guffey has been a three-time OVC
Commissioner's Honor Roll selection and a two-time OVC Medal of
Honor recipient. She has also been a two-time ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-District selection. Guffey has volunteered with the
Senior Citizen Olympics, reading at local elementary schools, the
OVC SAAC Can Food Drive, MSU Career Fair as well as serving as a
private basketball mentor. Guffey is a native of Albany, Ky.
Brian Morrell - Brian Morrell is entering his senior season with
Eastern Illinois baseball team where he is a relief pitcher. In
2008, he helped the Panthers to the 2008 OVC Tournament
Championship and a berth in the NCAA Regionals. He appeared in 24
games, compiling a 5-2 record, 4.42 earned run average and a save.
Morrell struck out 44 batters in 55 innings of work. For this
three-year career, Morrell has a 7-3 record and 4.20 E.R.A. in 36
appearances. This past summer he was named an All-Star in the
Central Illinois Collegiate League and was ranked the No. 8
prospect in the league by Baseball America. In the classroom
Morrell has a 4.00 grade point average in biological sciences. Last
spring he was named a second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic
All-American, where he was one of just four pitchers nationally
selected to the first or second-team. He has been an OVC Medal of
Honor and Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient in addition to
receiving the Heath Sports Medicine Scholarship in 2007 and the
Errett Warner Presidential Award in 2008. Morrell is a native of
Quincy, Ill.
Andrey Yesipov - Andrey Yesipov is in his fourth year with the UT
Martin men's tennis team. As a junior he earned second-team All-OVC
honors after compiling a 7-4 record in OVC singles play. For his
career, Yesipov has a 25-23 overall record (18-11 OVC) in singles
play and a 22-30 mark (14-15 OVC) in doubles competition. He has
been named the Skyhawks MVP each of the past two years (2007 and
2008). In the classroom Yesipov has a 3.82 grade point average in
information systems/computer science. He has been named to both the
OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll and Medal of Honor lists, as well as
the UTM Dean's List. Yesipov is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor
society, the Upsilon Pi Epsilon international honor society, the
Student-Athlete Advisory Council and he earned the Faculty Scholar
Award. He has volunteered with numerous organizations and events,
including "Shoes for Souls," "Santa Cop," "Can Caravan" food drive
and the UTM Blood Battle. Yesipov is a native of Zhukovsky,
Russia.
Other nominees for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Katelyn Barbour
of Morehead State University (volleyball); Eric Benson of Tennessee
State University (football); Melanie Cruz of Tennessee State
University (softball); Precious Elliott of Southeast Missouri State
University (track and field); Rachel Galligan of Eastern Illinois
University (women's basketball); Derek Hardman of Eastern Kentucky
University (football); Zach Knight of Murray State University
(football); Paij Lintz of the University of Tennessee at Martin
(softball); Kendall Magana of Southeast Missouri State University
(football); Stephanie Place of Tennessee Technological University
(cross country/track and field); Kayla Swearingen of Eastern
Kentucky University (soccer); Shawn Tipton of Morehead State
University (golf); and Zach Walden of Jacksonville State University
(football).
