The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
04.23.2018 | Texas Athletics
Rowing claims Team of the Year honors; Track’s Chrisann Gordon and Golf’s Sophia Schubert share Athlete of the Year award.
PHOTO GALLERY
AUSTIN, Texas – University of Texas Athletics played host to "Longhorn Honors: Women's Athletics" in the Touchdown Club in the North End Zone at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Monday evening. This year marked the 44th annual awards presentation for intercollegiate athletics for women at Texas.
The presentation honored the athletic excellence of the 2017-18 student-athletes and teams. It also featured seven "Awards of Highest Honor." Achievements from Spring 2017 along with Fall 2017 and Winter 2018 were considered for this year's awards.
Rowing claimed Team of the Year honors, as it finished in fourth place at the 2017 NCAA Championships. This marked the first time in program history the Longhorns finished on the podium at the NCAA Championships. UT's fourth-place national finish also marked the top showing ever by a Big 12 Conference rowing school at the NCAA Championships.
Track's Chrisann Gordon and Golf's Sophia Schubert shared Athlete of the Year honors. Gordon won the 2017 NCAA Outdoor title in the 400 meters. Earlier at the NCAA meet, she ran the fastest semifinal time in NCAA history with a time of 50.39 seconds. Gordon won the 2017 Big 12 outdoor title in the 400 meters and led UT's 4x400 relay to the Big 12 outdoor title. This past summer, she clocked a personal-best time of 50.13 to finish second at the Jamaican Championships. Gordon then represented Jamaica at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London and placed 10th in the 400 meters and ran on the 4x400 relay.
Schubert earned All-Big 12 Conference honors and honorable mention All-America recognition by Golfweek and the WGCA in her junior season in 2017. She recorded a team-best and school single-season record 72.49 stroke average and claimed her first individual medalist honors as a Longhorn at the Lady Buckeye Invitational. Schubert won the 2017 U.S. Women's Amateur in August with a dominant 6 and 5 win in the 36-hole finale, becoming the third golfer in program history and first since 1996 to win the event.
Track's Rushelle Burton and Swimming's Evie Pfeifer shared Outstanding Rookie Performance honors. Burton ran the fastest wind-legal time by a freshman in NCAA history to place third in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships (12.65 seconds). She qualified for the World Championships this summer by finishing fourth in a time of 12.70 seconds at the Jamaican Championships. Burton then placed 12th in the 100-meter hurdles (12.92 seconds) at the IAAF World Championships while representing Jamaica. Pfeifer was the highest-scoring freshman at the 2018 NCAA Championships. She became the first Longhorn to earn All-America honors in the 500 free since 2008, as she placed sixth. Pfeifer also placed 11th in the 400 IM and 12th in the 1,650 free at the NCAA meet. She also won Big 12 individual titles in the 500 free, the 400 IM and the 1,650 free and earned Big 12 Women's Newcomer of the Year honors.
In addition, Track and Field's Ariel Jones earned the Edith and Darrell K Royal Coca-Cola Solid Citizen Award, given to a student-athlete in recognition of her overall dedication to academics, athletics, community service, leadership and citizenry. Soccer's Cyera Hintzen claimed the Jill A. Sterkel Leadership Award, presented to a student-athlete who leads her team with both a competitive attitude and a personal graciousness.
Soccer's Mikayla Flores received the Jamie Carey Comeback Award, bestowed to a student-athlete or team who has overcome adversity with maturity and class. Diving's Murphy Bromberg claimed the Texas Tough Award, given to a student-athlete who possesses a fighter's spirit and courageous heart.
2017-18 Awards of Highest Honor winners and nominees
Team of the Year: Rowing
(Nominees: Rowing, Soccer, Swimming and Diving, Volleyball)
Outstanding Rookie Performance: Rushelle Burton, Outdoor Track AND Evie Pfeifer, Swimming
(Nominees: Haley Berg, Soccer; Rushelle Burton, Outdoor Track; Taylor Ellsworth, Softball; Ljiljana Josic, Rowing; Evie Pfeifer, Swimming; Bianca Turati, Tennis; Greta Isabella Voelker, Golf)
Edith and Darrell K Royal Coca-Cola Solid Citizen Award: Ariel Jones, Track and Field
Jill A. Sterkel Leadership Award: Cyera Hintzen, Soccer
Jamie Carey Comeback Award: Mikayla Flores, Soccer
Texas Tough Award: Murphy Bromberg, Diving
(Nominees: Murphy Bromberg, Diving; Haley Crouser, Track and Field; Mikayla Flores, Soccer; Lashann Higgs, Basketball; Brooke McCarty, Basketball; Cat McCoy, Volleyball; Erica Wright, Softball)
Longhorn Athlete of the Year: Chrisann Gordon, Outdoor Track AND Sophia Schubert, Golf
(Nominees: Ariel Atkins, Basketball; Murphy Bromberg, Diving; Gia Doonan, Rowing; Chrisann Gordon; Outdoor Track; Cyera Hintzen, Soccer; Brooke McCarty, Basketball; Sophia Schubert, Golf)
