July 19, 2012

IRVING, Texas - The University of Tulsa had three student-athletes named Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year Award winners for their respective sports, C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced today. The winners are determined by the league's Facaulty Athletics Representatives.

Junior tennis All-American Clifford Marsland (Perth, Australia) and senior track & cross country student-athletes, Bill Martin (Overland Park, Kan.) and Carl Stones (Round Rock, Texas), earned scholar athlete honors this year. Martin was named the winner for cross-country, while All-American Carl Stones was the award winner for track & field.

Tulsa shared the honor with Memphis, Rice and UAB for the most Scholar Athlete of the Year Award winners this year. Since becoming a member of Conference USA for the 2005-06 season, 19 Tulsa student-athletes have now garnered C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year accolades.

Marsland registered an overall 27-12 singles mark and 29-9 doubles record with teammate Ashley Watling to earn All-America honors for doubles. Marsland helped the Tulsa men's tennis team advance to the NCAA Round of 16 and the school's sixth C-USA Championship in the last seven years.

The Conference USA first team selection was also named to the C-USA All-Academic team, while maintaining a 3.66 GPA in exercise & sports science. Marsland finished the 2011-12 campaign ranked seventh nationally in doubles and 85th for singles.

Martin and Stones each ran cross-country and track for the Golden Hurricane. The two seniors were named to the C-USA All-Academic teams for both cross-country and track, while helping the Tulsa men capture Conference USA Championships for cross-country and indoor track & field and a final cross-country national ranking of 21.

Martin finished in 19th place at the Conference USA Cross-Country Championships and was a third-team all-Conference USA selection. Stones was named the C-USA Athlete of the Year for both indoor and outdoor track as well as earning first-team All-America honors for the 3,000-meter steeplechase during the outdoor season.

Stones maintained a 3.74 GPA in exercise & sports sciences and Martin had a 3.92 GPA in biochemistry.

C-USA SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD WINNERS
Baseball                      Keith DePew, UAB
Men's Basketball              *Connor Frizzelle, Rice
Women's Basketball            Roxana Button, Houston
                              TaRonda Randall, UAB
Men's Cross Country           Bill Martin, Tulsa
Women's Cross Country         Rhiannon Johns, UAB
Football                      Case Keenum, Houston
                              Matthew Milner, East Carolina
Men's Golf                    Jack Belote, Memphis
Women's Golf                  Marissa Stein, Memphis
Women's Rowing                *Chelsey Lauzon, UCF
Men's Soccer                  Adam Still, SMU
Women's Soccer                Kimberly "Kimmy" Cummings, East Carolina
Softball                      Natalie Land, UCF
Women's Swimming & Diving     Denise Smolenova, SMU
Men's Tennis                  Sam Garforth-Bles, Rice
                              Clifford Marsland, Tulsa
Women's Tennis                Courtney Collins, Memphis
Men's Track and Field         Carl Stones, Tulsa
Women's Track and Field       Rebecca "Becky" Wade, Rice
Volleyball                    Kelsey Seymour, Southern Miss

* Repeat winner