[May 1, 2007]

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Whitney Brannon and Skyler Stromsmoe were honored Tuesday with the coveted Auburn Smith Awards at the annual Southern Arkansas All-Sports banquet in the Grand Hall of the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Also receiving laurels were Nelly Tualla and Brian (Scooter) Hendrickson, being named this year’s Scholar-Athlete Award winners. Director of Athletics, Jay Adcox, presented the annual honors.

The Auburn Smith Award, given annually to both a female and male student-athlete, is the most prestigious honor a student-athlete can receive at SAU. The award is named in memory of Auburn Smith, who served as athletics director, administrator, coach, and instructor at Southern Arkansas. Athletic ability, performance, character, and scholastic achievement, are all considerations by a selection committee of head coaches at the university who select the honorees.

Brannon is a 5-8 utility player for the Lady Mulerider softball team. A senior from Hallsville, Texas, she sports a 3.55 cumulative GPA in early childhood education.

Brannon was a 2007 Pre-Season All-Gulf South Conference selection, and this season tied a GSC record with a 25-game hitting streak, setting the SAU record in the process. She was a First Team All-GSC pick last year, a Second Team selection in 2005, and was First Team her freshman season when she was also named the GSC West Division Co-Freshman of the Year. Brannon is also a past GSC West Division Player of the Week. She currently holds four Southern Arkansas records and has tied three others.

Named to the GSC Spring All-Academic Team last season, she is also a three-time selection to the GSC Spring Academic Honor Roll, and is a three-time member of the SAU Dean’s List.

Stromsmoe is a 5-10, 170-pound shortstop on the Mulerider baseball team. A senior out of Etzikom, Alberta, Stromsmoe transferred to Southern Arkansas from Longview College in Missouri. He has a perfect 4.00 GPA, majoring in Health, Kinesiology & Recreation.

Stromsmoe was a Pre-Season All-Gulf South Conference pick this season and has twice been named the GSC West Division Player of the Week this year, giving him three such honors in his career. He recently set the new SAU season record for stolen bases, swiping 51, and still counting, and currently leads the nation in stolen bases per game. Stromsmoe was a First Team All-GSC pick last year, helping lead the Muleriders to their first-ever GSC Championship and an appearance in the South Central Region Tournament.

In 2006, Stromsmoe was named Third Team on the prestigious ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team and was a First Team selection on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI team. He is a five-time member of the Southern Arkansas President’s List, having a perfect 4.00 in each of his five semesters at SAU, and was also the recipient of the 2006 Southern Arkansas male Scholar-Athlete Award at last year’s banquet.

The esteemed Scholar-Athlete Award is also given to both a female and male student-athlete. The nominee must have a minimum of a 3.00 GPA, have completed at least 56 semester hours, with at least one semester at SAU. Selection of the honorees is done by a committee considering GPA, athletic accomplishments, and citizenship.

Tualla is a member of the Lady Mulerider tennis team. She is a senior from Nacogdoches, Texas, and carries an impressive 3.95 cumulative GPA in accounting.

Tualla was twice named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Scholar-Athlete, and was named to the 2006 Gulf South Conference Spring All-Academic Team. She is a three-time member of the GSC Spring Academic Honor Roll, is a five-time member of the Southern Arkansas President’s List, carrying a 4.00 GPA for each of those semesters, and is a two-time member of the SAU Dean’s List. As a freshman, Tualla was a Second Team All-GSC pick and was named the GSC West Division Freshman of the Year. She also received the Southern Arkansas Outstanding Tennis Athlete Award her freshman year.

Hendrickson, a 5-10, 185-pound catcher/designated hitter for the Mulerider baseball team, is a junior out of Blue Springs, Mo., and posts an outstanding 3.98 cumulative GPA in biological science.

Hendrickson was both a 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team selection and an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI First Team pick. He was named to last year’s Gulf South Conference Spring All-Academic Team and was a member of the 2005 and 2006 GSC Spring Academic Honor Roll. Hendrickson is a four-time member of the SAU President’s List, with a perfect 4.00 GPA in those four semesters, and is a member of the Southern Arkansas Dean’s List. A Second Team All-GSC selection last year, Hendrickson was named to this year’s Pre-Season All-GSC Team.

Named the Outstanding Athletes in their respective fields by their head coaches or sponsors were, for volleyball – Jessie Mailhes, football – Demarea Caldwell, athletic training – Morgan McDaniel, women’s golf – Emily Poff, men’s golf – Eric Moya, men’s rodeo – Hugh Bragg, tennis – Nelly Tualla, women’s cross country – Marija Kolarevic, men’s cross country – Elliot Isom, women’s track – Lindsay Musielak, men’s track – Ryan Hinton, baseball – Jeremy Triche, softball – Stephanie Beason, cheerleading – Joni Bridges, men’s basketball – Leon Stone, and women’s basketball – Brooke Grigsby.

Dan Gregory, with KVMA/KVMZ radio in Magnolia, served as emcee for the evening’s event.

#SAU#

Photos contributed by Aaron Morris