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For
Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 7, 2002 THREE
NAMED ATHLETES OF THE YEAR AT UTPA ATHLETIC BANQUET
EDINBURG, TX-Senior basketball
players Kelli Kreuser (Bettendorf, IA/Davenport North HS/ Truman State)
and Mire Chatman (Garland, TX/South Garland HS/Southwestern Christian JC)
and sophomore volleyball player Jaclyn Muszynski (Walnut, CA/Walnut HS)
were named Athletes of the Year at the 2002 Texas-Pan American Athletic
Awards banquet Tuesday night at the ballroom on the UTPA campus. Chatman, named Male Athlete of the
Year, helped lead the Broncs to their best record in 12 years, 20-10. He
finished the season ranked third nationally in both scoring (26.2 points
per game) and steals (3.6 per game), his 46 points against Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi was the fourth-best single-game effort among
Division I players this season, while his 44 against NMSU two nights
later tied him for eighth in the same category. Named the Most Valuable
Player of the San Juan Shootout as Texas-Pan American won the
championship, Chatman averaged 35.2 points per game in the final five
games of the season, scored 30 or more points seven times, scored at
least 20 points in 26 of 29 games he played, was named second team
All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and
All-District by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He
finished 11th in career scoring at UTPA despite playing only
two seasons, and was named both a Mid-Major All-American and a member of
the Division I All-Defensive Team by CollegeInsider.com. He was also
named Independent Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year,
and received first team All-Independent honors. Chatman was a member of
the Bronc Pride 3.0 Club in the fall. Kreuser
was a double winner, as she was named Co-Female Athlete of the Year as
well as Female Newcomer of the Year. She made her only season at UTPA an
exceptional one, as she started every game and played almost every
position for the Lady Broncs. Named Independent Newcomer of the Year and
first team All-Independent, she led Texas-Pan American in scoring and
assists, and scored in double figures 23 times, including each of the
last 20 games. Her 451 points this year tied her for the fourth-best
single season output ever by a UTPA women’s basketball player, and she
ranks third in steals for a single season with 69. Her 138 assists this
year established a Lady Bronc single-season record. She scored a
career-high 27 points in back-to-back games January 5th and 10th, scored
24 points three times, and scored 20 or more points nine times. Kreuser
had a career-high six steals twice, and had three or more steals 12
times. She had a career-high nine rebounds February 9th, and had five or
more rebounds 14 times. Kreuser earned Dean’s List first honors for
the fall, and was also a member of both the Athletic Director’s Honor
Roll and the Bronc Pride 3.0 Club. Muszynski
was named Co-Female Athlete of the Year. Named first team
All-Independent, and Independent Offensive Most Valuable Player, she led
UTPA in kills per game (3.45) while ranking fourth in hitting percentage
(.174), block assists (35), total blocks (45) and blocks per game
(0.40). She was in double figures in kills 20 times, and had 20 or more
kills in a game on three occasions, including a season-best 24 against
Sam Houston State. She was in double figures in digs 19 times, recording
18 against Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. She earned Dean’s List first
honors, and was a member of the Bronc Pride 3.0 club.
Two Bronc student-athletes were
named co-recipients of the Men’s Newcomer of the Year Award. Freshman
Filip Koziell (Calgary, AB/Bishop Carroll HS) of the tennis team and
junior Kevin Mitchell (Copperas Cove, TX/Copperas Cove HS/McLennan CC)
of the basketball team were honored. Koziell was named second team
All-Southland Conference at number three singles after posting a 17-11
singles record this year. He went 14-10 in doubles while teamed with
fellow freshman Jeremy Salvo (Coquitlam, BC/Centennial Secondary), and
was 17-14 in doubles overall. He was named Player of the Week in the
Southland Conference, and was a member of the Bronc Pride 3.0 Club for
the fall. Mitchell was the quarterback of the
Broncs’ high-powered offense that averaged 79.6 points per game,
finishing 24th among Division I teams, and also finished 19th
nationally in field goal percentage, making 47.7 per cent of their shots
from the field. He led UTPA by averaging five assists per game and made
44 per cent of his field goal attempts, including 42.6 per cent from
three-point range. He also led the Broncs at the free throw line, making
79.6 per cent of his shots, He earned Dean’s List second honors, and
was a member of the Bronc Pride 3.0 Club for the fall. The Angela Procter Awards were
presented to junior Israel Arroyo (Houston, TX/Memorial HS) and senior
Rachel Drury (Moscow, ID/Moscow HS). Drury set the UTPA indoor pole
vault record this year, clearing 10 feet, six inches at the Houston
Invitational February 2nd. Arroyo finished first at 3000
meters at the Angela Procter Invitational March 29th with a
time of 9:15.27. He also posted best times of 4:14.09 for 1500 meters
and 15:50.30 for 5000 meters this spring. Both have been members of the
UTPA Track and Field team since their freshman years, and both have
exhibited strong leadership and character. Senior Kareem Abdullah (Clarendon,
TX/Clarendon HS/Seward County CC) of the men’s tennis team received
the Lou Hassell Award, presented to the senior male student-athlete who
has the highest grade-point average. An accounting major, Abdullah has a
3.77 grade point average. He finished 12-15 in singles and 16-16 in
doubles this season, but his last singles win was his biggest, as it
clinched the Broncs’ first-ever victory at the Southland Conference
Tournament. Abdullah was recently honored by being named a 2002
recipient of the Arthur Ashe, Junior Scholar-Athlete Award. He also
earned Dean’s List first honors, was a member of the Athletic
Director’s Honor Roll, received a United States Achievement Academy
All-American Scholar Collegiate Award, and was a member of the Bronc
Pride 3.0 Club. Two former UTPA student-athletes
received the Ann LaMantia Award, presented each year to senior female
student-athletes who excel academically. Erin Buttery (Colorado Springs,
CO/Harrison HS) of the women’s basketball team and Misty Cook
(Granbury, TX/Granbury HS/Navarro JC) were honored. Cook, a student assistant coach for
the volleyball team last fall, amassed 234 kills and 268 digs during her
two-year career at UTPA. Buttery ranks as the 10th all-time
leading rebounder at UTPA, and ranks 11th on the all-time
list in both assists and field goal percentage. She was a member of the
Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. The Image Award was presented to the
men’s and women’s track and field team for demonstrating a
commitment to community service, athletic integrity and academic
excellence. The Broncs and Lady Broncs participated at various grade
school assemblies, worked a safe trick-or-treat Halloween Carnival at a
local elementary school, served a Thanksgiving Day dinner at the
Salvation Army, volunteered as officials at several local high school
events, and supported their fellow student-athletes by attending
numerous home athletic events. In addition, eleven members of the team
were named to the Bronc Pride 3.0 Club last fall. GE-11-020050702 |