April 18, 2002

Columbia, S.C. — Four University of South Carolina student-athletes were recognized for superlative achievement at the 2002 USC Awards Day held Thursday afternoon on the Horseshoe.
Megan Matthews, a senior pitcher on the Gamecock softball team, was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Brandon Hulko, a senior diver on the swim team, was named Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Jessica Ward, a senior on the Gamecock women’s soccer team and Trey Dyson, a senior on the USC baseball squad, received Academic Excellence Awards.

The Student-Athlete of the Year Awards are presented to the male and female student-athletes who have performed extraordinarily in the areas of athletics, academics and community service during their college careers.

Matthews is a two-time All-SEC selection at pitcher and has led the Gamecocks to back-to-back NCAA Regional Tournament appearances. She has been the workhorse of the Gamecock pitching staff and has become just the 13th pitcher in NCAA history to record 1,000 career strikeouts. Megan helped lead USC to the 2000 SEC Tournament championship and should be the holder of four school career pitching records by the end of this season. She is extremely active in community service and has compiled a 3.206 grade point average while majoring in Exercise Science. Megan is from Greer, S.C.

Hulko is a two-time honorable mention All-America diver and earned All-SEC honors in both 2001 and 2002. He is a member of the U.S. Senior National Diving team and has qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships four straight years. Brandon has been active in community service and has compiled a 3.557 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science. He is from St. Cloud, Fla.

Ward has compiled a 3.864 GPA while majoring in Finance. She is a 2002 recipient of a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship from the SEC. Jessica has been an inspirational leader for the Gamecock team and was a member of the 1998 USC NCAA Tournament squad. She is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and has played in 22 career games for Carolina. Jessica is from Columbia.

Dyson has compiled a 3.745 GPA while majoring in Finance. He is the 2002 recipient of the H. Boyd McWhorter $10,000 post-graduate scholarship from the SEC, the highest scholar-athlete award presented by the conference. Trey has played a key role in the success of USC’s nationally ranked baseball team over the past three seasons, playing both first base and serving as the designated hitter. He is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and is from Columbia.