ODU Honors Student Athletes At Honors Banquet

April 25, 2006

NORFOLK, Va. - Field Hockey senior Janelle Engle and senior wrestler Adam Wright were named Athletes of the Year by the Old Dominion University Alumni Association, while senior swimmer Brian Julich, field hockey's Mary Cate Gordon and Janelle Engle were named 2006 Jack Wilkins/James Howard Scholar Athletes of the Year, Tuesday at the annual Old Dominion University Athletic honors Banquet and Hall of Fame induction in the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel.

Adam Wright (Dayton, VA.) qualified for the NCAA championships for the second straight year. He collected his third straight 30-plus win season with a 34-5 record at 197 pounds. Wright captured the championship crown at the Virginia Intercollegiate Championships and the CAA Championships. He was named Most Outstanding wrestler at the Virginia State Championships, as ODU captured the team title. Wright led the team in wins with five technical falls, and completed his career at ODU with a 121-31 record. He is a Mechanical Engineering Technology major.

Janelle Engle (Mt. Joy, PA.) helped lead the Lady Monarch field hockey squad to the NCAA semi-finals, and the Colonial Athletic Association Championship. Engle was the CAA Player of the Year and earned first team All-American honors by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. She led ODU and the CAA with 20 goals this year. In the classroom, Engle is a three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic selection and was chosen the USA TODAY All-USA College Academic team. A music major, Engle is first violinist in the Deihn String Quartet and concertmaster of the ODU Symphony. Engle was named CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year, as she carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

The Jack Wilkins/James Howard Scholar Athletes of the Year are presented to the male and female senior athletes with the highest cumulative grade point averages. Both Howard and Wilkins were instrumental in the formation of the ODU Intercollegiate Foundation in 1965.

Sharing the female award with Janelle Engle is her field hockey teammate Mary Cate Gordon (Oreland, PA.). In the net, Gordon posted seven shutouts along with a .702 save percentage and 1.47 goal against average in leading ODU to the CAA crown and its 16th appearance in the NCAA semi-finals. Gordon is a four-time NFHCA All-Academic selection, carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average in English and was a Rhodes Scholar nominee.

The male recipient is Brian Julich (Sanford, NC.) from the swimming and diving team. Julich won two events in the season opener against Towson, winning the 50 free (21.89) and 100 free (48.48). He won the 100 butterfly (52.17) against Radford and VMI, and also won the 100 fly (52.25) in the CAA pod meet with Delaware and William and Mary. Julich placed first in the 500 free (21.74) against George Washington and swam on the second place 200 freestyle relay team (1:23.93) at the CAA Championships. He carries a 3.86 grade point average in biology.

Old Dominion University also inducted five former athletes into the school's Sports Hall of Fame. They included: Ticha Penicheiro and Clarisse Machanguana (women's basketball), John Torgerson (Sailing), Sean O'Hare (Baseball) and Winnifred Sanders (field hockey).

In addition to the above, the Most Valuable Players from each sport were recognized. They are as follows: