Two athletes take home final title
What does it take to be crowned the Player’s Club Player of the Year? It takes hard work, pride, a positive attitude, leadership and a little bit of luck. In the 2001-02 school year, six Mustangs received the Player’s Club recognition. Senior guard Damon Hancock, senior forward Luchi Gonzalez, junior wide receiver Chris Cunningham, sophomore swimmer Alenka Kejzar, freshman Karen Freburg and senior striker Sarah Harvey all were honored. From these six players four finalists have been chosen for the Player’s Club Male and Female Players of the Year.
All of the votes have been counted, except for the ones from Florida, and we all know how much trouble they have reading ballots. The final list has been set.
The four Mustang finalists are Gonzalez and Cunningham for the men, and Kejzar and Harvey for the women.
I understand that many of you out there feel partially snubbed after not receiving the nomination, however, there were strict guidelines I followed in making the decision.
First we focus on the two male finalists, Cunningham and Gonzalez.
Cunningham still has one year left and will graduate as yet another great player from the Mustang football program. After three brilliant years, Cunningham can only add to the list of accomplishments. If touchdowns were handed out for simply being a great player, Cunningham would be leading the nation in total points.
The future is bright and the man they call Comet is ready to make an impact. His positive attitude and great work ethic, along with his all around charm as a person garnered Cunningham the nomination. One thing is for sure: Football games don’t win themselves, so look for Comet to be one of the reasons the Mustangs hope to be winning in January, 2003.
The second male finalist, Gonzalez, was actually the first player to be inducted into the Player’s Club. Since first being nominated Gonzalez never looked back. After Gonzalez swept up all of the top collegiate national soccer honors, he was drafted sixth overall by the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer.
Gonzalez’s soccer career at SMU was filled with major accomplishments. He led the Mustangs to their first ever Final Four birth in 2000, and in 2001 he was the first Mustang to be named the nation’s player of the year. If somebody selected an All-Universe Team, Gonzalez would be on it.
After receiving such a large amount of national attention Gonzalez still managed to keep a small head. Showing total composure on and off the field is just one of the major reasons Gonzalez received the nomination.
The women are not about to let the men steal the spotlight. Both finalists, Kejzar and Harvey, have their own list of outstanding accomplishments.
Kejzar, a two-time Olympian, was outstanding this year for the Mustang swim team. Kejzar was a representative of SMU at each of the major swim events this season, including the NCAA Championships in Austin earlier this year. She stood atop the podium on more than one occasion this season and will no doubt be calling the podium home for years to come.
However, her biggest accomplishment hasn’t even come in the pool. The Slovenia native had to beat competitors in the pool and master the sometimes ridiculous English language in the classroom. Kejzar has been able to adjust to life in the United States and has forced opposing swimmers to adjust to her being in the pool.
Out of the water and back onto the field is where you will find the other female finalist. Soccer standout Sarah Harvey completed a stellar career at SMU earlier this season after notching her third goal of the NCAA tournament in a 2-1 loss to Texas A&M.
Yet, there is no way a single loss could cast a shadow over a collegiate career most athletes would take in a heartbeat. Harvey was a constant threat to score each time she stepped on the field. A combination of speed, strength and understanding of the game made her a player to watch.
With all eyes on Harvey she didn’t let down, posting tops in points and goals multiple times over her four years at SMU. The ability to single handedly turn a game around is a major factor in Harvey’s nomination.
Remembering all of these players’ achievements made the ultimate decision even more difficult, but as we all know there can be only one Player of the Year … that is, one male and one female.
The envelopes please!
The winners of the first annual Male and Female Player’s Club Players of the Year are Luchi Gonzalez and Sarah Harvery.
A soccer sweep is fitting considering the supreme efforts of both teams this season. Both Harvey and Gonzalez led their Mustang soccer teams into the postseason and won a few games along the way.
I would like to congratulate both athletes on their outstanding careers at SMU and thank them for their brilliant representation of our university. I would also like to thank each and every one of the student-athletes who represent SMU on a daily basis. I look forward to the return of the Player’s Club next year, and I thank all of my loyal readers for their comments and concerns.
Two athletes take home final title
