Sept. 27, 2007

OXFORD, Ohio--Seven student-athletes earned Miami University Athletics' most prestigious annual awards and will be honored at halftime of the Miami versus Syracuse football game on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Nathan Davis (ice hockey), Tim Pollitz (men's basketball) and Paul Ricard (men's swimming and diving) shared Male Athlete of the Year honors, while Kristina Bolterstein (women's track and field) was tabbed the Female Athlete of the Year. Kathleen Vistica (women's soccer) was named the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Marty Guerin (ice hockey) was selected as the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Leslie Macedo (softball) earned Miami's highest honor for a female student-athlete, the Leann Grimes Davidge Memorial Award.

Davis (Rocky River, Ohio) earned RBK/American Hockey Coaches Association West All-America Second Team honors and was one of 10 Hobey Baker finalists as a junior last season. Davis was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's Best Defensive Forward and earned Second-Team All-CCHA accolades. Davis helped spearhead Miami to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and the program's first NCAA Tournament win with a 2-1 victory over top-seeded New Hampshire in the first round of the Northeast Regional. He led the RedHawks and finished fourth in the CCHA in overall scoring, amassing 50 points off 21 goals and 29 assists. Last season, he became the 38th member of Miami's 100-point club and enters his senior campaign with 114 points to rank 26th on the RedHawks' career chart. Additionally, Davis was selected for the U.S. Men's National Team for the IIHF World Championship.

Pollitz (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) lifted Miami to its third straight postseason appearance as the RedHawks won the Mid-American Conference Tournament to earn the program's 17th NCAA Tournament berth. Pollitz, who averaged 22.0 points per game and shot 75.6 percent from the field during the tournament, was named the MAC Tournament MVP becoming the first Miamian to earn the honor since 1997 and was the first Miami junior to capture the award since Ron Harper in 1986. During Miami's MAC Tournament run, Pollitz set a school single-game record for field goal percentage, draining 11-of-12 field goals (.917) against Toledo in the semifinals. Pollitz captured First-Team All-MAC honors, marking the fifth first-team honoree for the RedHawks over the past four seasons and becoming the first junior since Wally Szczerbiak to earn the distinction. He scored 20 or more points in 10 games last year, all coming over the final 16 contests of the season.

Ricard (Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green) is the defending two-time Mid-American Conference Swimmer of the Year. Last year as a junior, Ricard won MAC titles in the 200-, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 500 and 1,650 freestyles. Ricard became the first Miami swimmer to advance to nationals in five years and was the first RedHawk to win three MAC freestyle titles at the same conference meet since 2004. At nationals, Ricard placed 18th in the 1,650 and 29th in the 500. He also was a U.S. Open qualifier. Ricard was named to the All-MAC First Team, garnering his third all-MAC honor in as many years. He owns five MAC individual titles, tying for fifth on Miami's all-time MAC Championship list. Additionally, Ricard set a pair of school records in the 500 freestyle and the 1,650 freestyle. He recorded a 17-4 individual dual meet record and was undefeated in MAC dual meets.

Bolterstein (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Midpark) was an All-American in the high jump, placing 14th at the NCAA Championships last season as a junior. She also was a national qualifier during the indoor season, finishing 17th at the national meet. Bolterstein was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. She tied a MAC indoor record with a clearance of 6-foot-1 ½ at the Findlay Open and tied her school outdoor record of 5-foot-10 ¾, which she set earlier in the season, in the preliminaries at the NCAA Championships. She posted an 11th-place finish at the MidEast Regional and earned one of eight at-large berths to the national meet. Bolterstein is the two-time defending MAC Indoor High Jump Champion, earning First-Team All-MAC honors during the indoor season and Second-Team All-MAC plaudits during the outdoor season after finishing at the runner up at the MAC Outdoor Championships.

Vistica (Monrovia, Md./Urbana), who boasted a 3.94 GPA and majored in accountancy, was a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-American, becoming just the second player in program history to capture First-Team Academic All-America honors. Vistica became the fourth Miami player to earn MAC Player of the Year honors over the past six years and earned First-Team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive year. The MAC's points leader during the regular season as a senior, Vistica tallied career-highs in goals (9) and points (24) and finished one assist shy (6) of her career high. One of Miami's most prolific offensive players, Vistica ended her career ranked third on the school's all-time assists chart (20) and fourth on the career points (70) and goals (25) lists. Vistica finished as only the third Miami women's soccer player to notch 20 goals and 20 assists in her career.

Guerin (Lansing, Mich.), who owned a 3.58 GPA while majoring in zoology with a concentration in pre-medicine, was a part of three NCAA Tournament appearances with the ice hockey team, including the program's first NCAA Tournament win last season. He helped the RedHawks to a CCHA Regular-Season Championship in 2005-06, marking just the second time in program history the Red and White captured the league title. He was a part of the winningest class in program history, as the RedHawks amassed an unprecedented 88 wins during his four-year career. Guerin played in 156 career games, missing just four games as a sophomore due to an injury and tying the Miami record for career games played. As a senior last season, Guerin ranked third on the team in points with 32 and ended his career with 115 career points becoming one of just 38 players in program history to join the 100-Point Club.

Macedo (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) was a National Strength and Conditioning All-American and holds both Miami's single-season and career records for RBIs. An infielder and catcher for the RedHawks in her first three seasons, Macedo moved to a designated player role as a senior due to a shoulder injury. She was one of just two RedHawks to start all 62 games in 2007 and finished second on the team in batting average. As a sophomore, Macedo helped Miami to a Mid-American Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth and had the RedHawks' lone extra base hit during the tournament. Macedo amassed 17 doubles in 1997, which ranks second on Miami's single-season charts and is one of just three players in program history to amass more than 14 homeruns and 70 RBIs in a career. She also became the first player in program history to record back-to-back 30-plus RBI seasons. In addition to serving as team captain last year, Macedo was a member of the RedHawk Student-Athlete Advisory Council and attended the MAC Student-Athlete Advisory Council Leadership Conference. Helping out in the community, Macedo assisted with the State to State Marathon, volunteered at the Animal Adoption Foundation and also at the Matrix Nursing Home, participated in the Kiwanis Food Drive, was the chairperson for the Area Youth Advisory Commission, participated in Miami's Championship Reading Program and chaperoned over 120 eighth graders on a trip to Washington D.C. She owns a 3.65 GPA and majors in health and sports studies and is on pace to graduate in December.

Miami's Male and Female Athlete of the Year honors are awarded to any student-athlete (freshman, sophomore, junior or senior) who has made significant athletic contributions to his/her respective team for that academic year. The Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards are bestowed upon a student-athlete of senior standing, who has excelled in the classroom as well as in the athletic arena.

Noted as Miami's top award for an upperclass female student-athlete, the Leann Grimes Davidge Award is presented in honor of the former Miami women's tennis coach from 1979 to 1985, who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident. In six years as head coach, Davidge compiled an overall record of 93-50 and 25-1 in MAC action, while capturing four consecutive MAC Championships. This award is meant to keep her legacy alive through recognition of outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in athletics, academics and leadership.