Major Award Winners Announced

Chad Alban and Jill Lusher named top athletes

June 17, 1998

East Lansing, Mich. - Six Michigan State University student-athletes have been recognized for excellence both on the playing field and in the classroom and have earned the school's highest athletic awards for the 1997-98 school year.

The awards presented include the George Alderton Male and Female Athletes of the Year, the Big Ten Conference Medals of Honor, the Chester Brewer Leadership Award and the Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award.

The Alderton Male Athlete of the Year was awarded to hockey standout Chad Alban (Kalamazoo), while the Alderton Female Athlete of the Year award went to field hockey's Jill Lusher (Econdido, Calif.). The Big Ten Conference Medals of Honor were awarded to hockey's Tyler Harlton (Pense, Saskatchewan) and field hockey's Melissa Pryor (Ann Arbor). Cross country standout Kyle Baker (Anderson, Ind.) is the recipient of the Chester Brewer Leadership Award, while football player Dave Mudge (Whitby, Ont.) is the recipient of the Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award.

GEORGE ALDERTON MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (Presented to the top male athlete of 1997-98)

WINNER: Chad Alban (Hockey)

Chad Alban

Senior goalie Chad Alban closed out his stellar Michigan State career as the runner-up for the 1997-98 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. The 1997-98 CCHA Player of the Year, Alban earned first-team All-America honors after posting a 31-4-5 record and leading the nation with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .926 saves percentage.

The Spartan netminder guided the Spartans to a 33-6-5 overall record, CCHA regular-season and playoff titles and to the NCAA Regional finals.

Alban, who is tied for third all-time among NCAA goaltenders with 88 career wins, tops the MSU career list in goals-against average (2.46), wins and shutouts (12).

The Kalamazoo native posted an MSU-record six shutouts in 1997-98 and became just the fourth goalie in college hockey history to score a goal when he tallied an empty net score against Ferris State on Feb. 28.

The first three-time team MVP since goalie Ron Scott (1981-83), Alban was voted the College Hockey Showcase Most Valuable Player after shutting out Wisconsin and making 26 stops in a 3-2 win over Minnesota.

ALDERTON MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR PAST WINNERS: 1997-Reid Friedrichs (soccer); 1996-David Morgan (wrestling); 1995-Shawn Respert (basketball); 1994-Emilio Collins (wrestling); 1993-Bryan Smolinski (hockey); 1992-Anthony Hamm (cross country/track and field); 1991-Steve Smith (basketball); 1990-Kip Miller (hockey) and Percy Snow (football); 1989-Bobby Reynolds (hockey); 1988-Todd Krumm (football/baseball); 1987-Don McSween (hockey); 1986-Mike Donnelly (hockey), Lorenzo White (football), Scott Skiles (basketball); 1985-Sam Vincent (basketball); 1984-Carl Banks (football); 1983-Ron Scott (hockey); 1982-Ron Scott (hockey).

GEORGE ALDERTON FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (Presented to the top female athlete of 1997-98)

WINNER: Jill Lusher (Field Hockey)

Jill Lusher

Senior field hockey standout Jill Lusher earned NFHCA Second-Team All-America honors in 1997 after scoring 11 goals and adding three assists for 25 points. The Spartan forward, who is the first-ever field hockey player to be named the Alderton Female Athlete of the Year, missed the first six games of the season while playing with the U.S. Under-21 National Team. In her first game back, she scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 2-1 victory over Kent.

A native of Escondido, Calif., Lusher poured in six goals in MSU's 6-0 shutout of St. Louis on Oct. 3. She notched a hat trick in each half, making her just the third player in history to score six or more goals in a game. A third-team All-American in 1996, Lusher ranks third on MSU's all-time chart in assists with 20 and fourth in goals with 32.

A three-time first-team all-region honoree, Lusher played a key role in leading the Spartans to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1980-81. In 1997, she earned Big Ten All-Tournament honors after leading MSU to a 3-1 win over Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, she was named to the NFHCA National All-Academic team for three-straight seasons.

ALDERTON FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR PAST WINNERS: 1997-Sevatheda Fynes (track & field); 1996-Val Sterk (volleyball); 1995-Karen Winslow (soccer); 1994-Susan Francis (track & field); 1993-Jodi Blotcher (gymnastics); 1992-Misty Allison (cross country/track & field); 1991-Julie Farrell-Ovenhouse (swimming & diving); 1990-Julie Farrell (swimming & diving); 1989-Julie Farrell (swimming & diving); 1988-Michelle Ingalls (gymnastics); 1987-Odessa Smalls (track & field); 1986-Mary Schoenle (swimming & diving); 1985-Kelly Becker (volleyball); 1984-Deanne Moore (softball); 1983-Judi Brown (track & field); 1982-Molly Brennan (track & field).

BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEDAL OF HONOR (Presented to a male and female student-athlete at each conference institution for scholarship and athletic achievement)

MALE WINNER: Tyler Harlton (Hockey)

Tyler Harlton

Senior Tyler Harlton is the recipient of the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor for the second-straight year, joining former hockey player Walter Bartels (1990-91) as the only two-time winners in MSU history.

On the ice, Harlton was the leader of the nation's top defensive team. The first two-time winner of the CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman Award, he was a unanimous selection for the honor in 1997-98. Harlton was a second-team All-America and first-team All-CCHA selection this season while leading Michigan State to a 33-6-5 record and the CCHA regular-season and playoff championships. He played in 161 games during his Spartan career, scoring five goals and adding 31 assists for 36 points.

A native of Pense, Sasketchewan, Harlton graduated in May with a degree in political theory and constitutional democracy and a minor in business (3.76 grade-point average). A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, he earned GTE First-Team Academic All-America honors this year.

The first three-time captain of Spartan hockey since Don McSween in the 1980s, Harlton generously donates his time in the community with area children's groups. He was a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to college hockey's finest citizen.

BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEDAL OF HONOR RECENT MALE WINNERS: 1997-Tyler Harlton (hockey); 1996-Brian Picklo (wrestling); 1995-Emilio Collins (wrestling); 1994-Steve Wasylk (football); 1993-Dave Smith (cross country/track & field); 1992-Stuart Hirschman (baseball); 1991-Walt Bartels (hockey); 1990-Walt Bartels (hockey); 1989-Danton Cole (hockey); 1988-Michael Davidson (baseball); 1987-Dean Altobelli (football); 1986-Don McSween (hockey); 1985-Carlton Evans (lacrosse); 1984-Kelly Miller (hockey); 1983-Michael Brown (swimming & diving); 1982-Morten Andersen (football).

FEMALE WINNER: Melissa Pryor (Field Hockey)

Melissa Pryor

Junior Melissa Pryor has anchored the Spartan defense for two seasons and has played in 57 games in three years. A first-team Midwest/West Regional All-American and second-team All-Big Ten honoree, she led the team with six defensive saves in 1997.

Pryor has been just as stellar off the field where she is involved in numerous activities. She helped start the Dubois Society, a support/social group for minority students in the James Madison College where she is a social relations major with a 3.75 grade-point average.

Pryor serves as field hockey's representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and each semester she has participated in a minority phone-a-thon, calling prospective MSU students to answer questions about the University. She coached an elementary field hockey team for seven years in her hometown of Ann Arbor and continues to assist when she is in the area. A member of the Varsity S Club, she worked the 5K run for MSU Safeplace and participated in a "pet visit" to an area senior citizens home.

Pryor has been on the Dean's List every semester, is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She was named to the GTE Academic All-District IV squad and was named to the 1997 NFHCA National Academic squad.

BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEDAL OF HONOR RECENT FEMALE WINNERS: 1997-Val Sterk (volleyball); 1996-Patti Raduenz (softball); 1995-Laura Bell (cross country/track & field); 1994-Laura Bell (cross country/track & field); 1993-Ruth Aguayo (gymnastics); 1992-Misty Allison (cross country/track & field); 1991-Emily Coatney (soccer); 1990-Eileen Shea (basketball); 1989-Mary Schoenle (swimming & diving); 1988-Kim Hartwick (gymnastics); 1987-Lisa Marino (golf); 1986-Julie Polakowski (basketball); 1985-Kelly Belanger (basketball); 1984-Anne Pewe (cross country/track & field); 1983-Karen Wells (basketball); 1982-Lisa Speaker (golf).

CHESTER BREWER LEADERSHIP AWARD (Presented to a graduating senior in his or her last year of eligibility for distinguished performance in athletics and scholarship and for possessing a high degree of leadership qualities and skill)

WINNER: Kyle Baker (Cross Country)

Senior Kyle Baker guided the Spartan cross country team to a seventh-place finish at the 1997 NCAA Championship. A transfer from Ball State, Baker captained the Spartan harriers last season in just his second year at MSU.

Baker earned All-America honors with a 31st-place finish at the '97 NCAA Championship and was an NCAA All-Region honoree for the second-straight season after finishing ninth at the regional meet. He earned All-Big Ten honors in both of his seasons at MSU with back-to-back third-place finishes at the league championship.

In 1997, Baker earned All-America honors in track with a fifth-place finish in the 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He also captured three Big Ten titles in 1997, winning the 3,000 meters at the conference indoor meet and the 5,000 meter title at both the indoor and outdoor championships. The Spartan distance runner redshirted for the 1998 track season and will have one season of eligibility remaining.

A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Baker garnered Academic All-America honors from the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association in 1997. He carries a 3.27 grade-point average in business administration.

CHESTER BREWER LEADERSHIP AWARD RECENT WINNERS: 1997-Dana Cooke (volleyball) and Tamika Matlock (basketball); 1996-Courtney DeBolt (volleyball); 1995-Eric Snow (basketball); 1994-Rob Fredrickson (football); 1993-Steve Johnson (baseball); 1992-Mike Gilmore (hockey); 1991-Becky Belanger (volleyball) and Eileen Shea (basketball); 1990-Chris Willertz (football); 1989-Sheila Ovenhouse (softball); 1988-Pat Shurmur (football); 1987-Shane Bullough (football); 1986-Anthony Bell (football); 1985-Kelly Miller (hockey); 1984-Michael Brown (swimming & diving); 1983-Eliot Tabron (track & field); 1982-Shawn White (wrestling).

DR. JAMES FEURIG ACHIEVEMENT & SERVICE AWARD (Presented to a male or female graduating senior involved in athletics as a competitor or in a supporting role. The recipient should carry a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or better, and in addition to athletic and academic success, demonstrate involvement in school/campus and community activities)

WINNER: Dave Mudge (Football)

Dave Mudge

Senior Dave Mudge, a two-year starter on the offensive line for the Spartans, played in 34 games during his career. He played a key role on an offensive line that helped MSU gain 200-plus yards on the ground six times in 1997. Mudge and the O-line also allowed the second-fewest sacks in the Big Ten, 16 in 342 pass attempts.

Mudge graduated with a degree in physical education/exercise science in the summer of 1997 and began pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology in the fall of '97. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and four-time Dean's List honoree, he carries a 3.27 grade-point average in his post-graduate studies.

Off the field, Mudge has been an active volunteer. A member of the Varsity S Club, he served as vice-president of the organization during the 1997-98 school year. He was the football team's representative to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he was involved with the Student-Athlete Mentor Program and took part in many of the volunteer activities organized through the Life Skills Program at MSU.

A native of Whitby, Ontario, Mudge was a volunteer teacher for the MSU Education Development Laboratory and the Delta River Elementary School. He also worked with individuals with disabilities through the MSU Sports Skills Program.

RECENT WINNERS: 1997-Stephanie Dueringer (cross country/track & field); 1996-Susan Gibson (soccer); 1995-Angela Howard (gymnastics); 1994-Mill Coleman (football); 1993-Molly West (tennis) and Chris Brown (track & field); 1992-Matt Steigenga (basketball); 1991-Jason Muzzatti (hockey); 1990-Dawna Wilson (gymnastics) and Todd Mercer (swimming & diving); 1989-Kelly Collister (volleyball); 1988-Keiko Timmerman (gymnastics); 1987-Kristen Nelson (swimming & diving) and Barry Fordham (basketball); 1986-John Wojciehowski (football); 1985-Bob Fossum (golf) and Riney Wilke (lacrosse); 1984-Michael Brown (swimming & diving); 1983-Syd Wells (golf); 1982-Molly Brennan (track & field).