Aug. 19, 2008
Wayne State University Director of Athletics Rob Fournier announced today the 2007-08 Male and Female EDS/Student-Athletes of the Year. Candidates were judged on academic distinction, athletic accomplishments, individual involvement and University and community service, as well as coaches' recommendation.
Senior diver Erika Barczak (Williamston, Mich.) and junior baseball pitcher Anthony Bass (Trenton, Mich.) were selected as the 2007-08 female and male student-athletes of the year after being nominated by their respective coaches with voting by the athletic department's coaches and administrative staff.
"When you consider the caliber of student-athlete Erika and Anthony are chosen from, it makes their selection even more exceptional," commented Rob Fournier. "Both are All-Americans who truly epitomize that honor - they are the best of the best."
Barczak (pictured left) was the 2007-08 GLIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in voting by the league's faculty athletic representatives. A seven-time All-American, she becomes just the second student-athlete in the seven year history of the award to be a two-time recipient joining David Lutz (2003-04, 2004-05). Barczak was the recipient in 2005-06.
An art major with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.97, Barczak was also voted to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Women's At-Large First Team. This past season, Barczak earned two First Team All-America honors by placing fourth in one-meter diving (408.75) and sixth on the three-meter board (366.85). She helped lead the Warriors to their third straight GLIAC championship and a top-ten national ranking.
"Erika has consistently established a level of excellence that has remained extraordinary in terms of competitive success, academic achievement and community service," added Fournier.
Bass was named to the Rawlings/ABCA All-America First Team and the NCBWA All-America Third Team. He was also selected to the Daktronics, Inc. and Rawlings/ABCA All-Region First Teams, earning Pitcher of the Year honors from the latter organization as well as a Gold Glove for outstanding defense. Bass was voted GLIAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-GLIAC.
He made 14 appearances (12 starts) in 2008 and went 10-3 with a 2.10 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 85.2 innings. Bass tied the single-season school record for victories and totaled the fourth-most strikeouts and fifth-most innings in WSU history. He had seven complete games and two shutouts and earned a victory in 10 straight appearances (March 21-May 15). A fifth round draft pick of the San Diego Padres, Bass is 2-1 with four saves and an ERA of 1.69 in 19 games for the Class A Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds.
"Anthony Bass is the face of a rising baseball program. His tenacity, focus and achievement are reflected by his personal successes and how his contribution has elevated the baseball program. His personal style and work habits are synonymous with our team's successes," said Fournier.
This is the seventh year EDS has sponsored the WSU Student-Athlete of the Year award. The first year recipients were softball player Kelly Kashermick and hockey player David Guerrera, while cross country runner Shelly Vickery and hockey player Dustin Kingston were the 2002-03 honorees. The 2003-04 student-athletes of the year were women's hockey player Kim Spaulding and swimmer David Lutz. Lutz became the first two-time winner in 2004-05 along with Anna Vinnikov, a member of the women's fencing squad. The 2005-06 recipients were diver Erika Barczak and swimmer Nick Ingrao, while last year's recipients were Anna Garina, a national champion fencer, and Kris Krzyminski, an All-American basketball player.
