Date: May 28, 2002
Contact: Brian Laubscher (540) 463-8676
Release: Upon Receipt

MENTZ, WALLACE AND WATSON HIGHLIGHT AWARD WINNERS AT W&L
Trio Named Washington and Lee Senior Athletes Of The Year

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Seniors Jessica Mentz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial), Paul Wallace (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry) and Marc Watson (Marietta, Ga./Walton) headed the list of honorees at the annual Washington and Lee University Athletic Awards Ceremony on May 28 at W&L's Lee Chapel. Mentz was named the Pres Brown Outstanding Senior Female Athlete, while Wallace and Watson were the male recipients of the award.

Mentz was a four-year letterwinner and a team captain as a senior for the women's basketball team. A forward, Mentz set 21 school, game, season and career records, including points in a game (37), points in a season (519), points in a career (1,742), career points per game (17.2) and career rebounds (973). Her career scoring total ranks sixth all-time in Division III women's basketball in Virginia. Mentz earned ODAC and Virginia College Division Player of the Year honors and was recognized as a First Team All-Region and Honorable Mention All-America selection following the 2001-02 season. Twice she earned First Team All-ODAC honors, while garnering the conference's rookie of the year award in 1998-99.

Wallace was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain for the W&L men's soccer team. A sweeper, Wallace is the first W&L men's soccer player to have earned multiple All-America honors, posting Second Team laurels as a junior and Third Team honors as a senior. Following the 2001 season, Wallace was named the ODAC and Virginia College Division Player of the Year. He earned First Team All-ODAC honors three times, while earning First Team All-State and First Team All-Region honors his final two seasons. He was the W&L Male Freshman Athlete of the Year in 1999.

Watson was a four-year letterwinner in football and a two-year letterwinner and team captain in track & field as a junior. A running back on the football field, Watson set 12 new school records, including rushing yards in a game (281), season (1,325) and career (3,112), career all-purpose yards (5,184) and career touchdowns (36). The 2000 ODAC Player of the Year, Watson twice earned First Team All-ODAC and First Team All-State honors and was named Second Team All-Region and Third Team All-America as a junior. On the track, Watson was a two-time ODAC Indoor 55-meter champion and the school record holder in the 55- (6.44) and 100-meters (10.6).

In other major awards handed out at the ceremony, senior football player Jeff Bahl (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Country Day) received the William McHenry Scholar-Athlete Award. Bahl carries a 3.635 grade-point average while majoring in business administration. A linebacker, Bahl was a two-time First Team All-ODAC and First Team All-State honoree and a three-time GTE/Verizon Academic All-District selection. He finished his career with 291 tackles and 16.5 sacks.

Senior Carter Thomas (Atlanta, Ga./Westminster) was named the recipient of the Wink Glasgow Spirit & Sportsmanship Award. A guard, Thomas was a two-year captain for the women's basketball team, playing in the second-most games in school history (100). She ended her career second all-time in career steals (149) and third all-time in career assists (215).

Men's tennis player Paul McClure (Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School) was named the Outstanding Freshman Male and Athlete of the Year, while women's tennis player Lindsay Hagerman (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) and volleyball player Jennifer Lux (Virginia Beach, Va./Cox) were named the Outstanding Freshman Female Athletes of the Year. McClure earned All-ODAC honors at No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles, posting a 15-9 record in singles and a 15-7 record in doubles. Hagerman earned All-ODAC honors at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles and was named the ITA Atlantic South Region Rookie of the Year and Co-National Rookie of the Year. She was ranked 14th nationally in singles, recording a 23-7 overall record. In doubles, she logged a 23-4 overall mark. A setter, Lux earned ODAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-State honors posting a school-record 1,186 assists, 269 digs and 54 aces. Her assist total surpassed the former record by 339 assists.

Jerry Darrell, W&L's Director of Dining Services was honored with the R.E. "Chub" Yeakel Memorial Service Award for his support of Washington and Lee athletics over the years. Senior Jack Robb received the Lefty Newell Memorial Award for his contributions to the W&L intramural program, while junior Bryan Carmody received the Richard Miller Physical Education Scholarship.

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