A pair of All-Americans -- soccer defender Maria Leider and football running back Isaac Odim -- were bestow
A pair of All-Americans -- soccer defender Maria Leider and football running back Isaac Odim -- were bestowed with the University of Minnesota Duluth's Outstanding Female and Male Senior Athlete Awards for 2010-11 at the inaugural Dinner with Champions banquet on Wednesday night (May 4) at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center while Odim, Becky Anderson (soccer), Kyle Schmidt (men's ice hockey) and Bridget Hines (track and cross country) all received this year's E.L. "Duce" Rasmussen Award as the school's top scholar-athletes
In addition, senior nose tackle and Oshkosh, Wis., product Jim Kunz was bestowed with the Shjon Podein Community Service Award, which has been presented annually since 2003 to a UMD student-athlete who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the field of play and has made noteworthy humanitarian contributions in the Duluth and University communities.
Leider, a four-year starter from Duluth, put an exclamation point on an rewarding senior season by becoming the school's second National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-America (second team). An All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference first team honoree in both 2009 and 2010, she also received Daktronics All-Central Region first team acclaim this past fall and secured a spot on the 2010 NSIC All-Tournament as well. Leider, who captained UMD to a second-place NSIC finish as a senior, collected 20 points on seven goals and six assists in 59 career outings with the Bulldogs.
Arguably the most decorated athlete in the 78-year history of Bulldog football, Odim arrived on the UMD campus in 2008 and exited the program last fall as the proud owner of some 17 school single-game, single-season and career records. The Rochester, Minn. native and 2010 team co-captain is the Bulldogs' all-time rushing (4,242 yards), scoring (492 points), touchdown (82) and all-purpose yardage (5,593) leader and is UMD's first three-time football All-American. This past fall, despite missing over half of the year with a season-ending knee injury, Odim was chosen the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year for a second straight time. He topped the 100-yard rushing barrier in 25 of his 34 games as a Bulldog, including 12 of 13 outings as a junior when he was named to a UMD record five different All-American teams and was also the fourth leading vote getter for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA II Player of the Year. During Odim's three years in Duluth, the Bulldogs captured two NCAA II championships and three NSIC titles while rolling up a 41-2 overall record.
In the classroom, Odim's accomplishments are equally as impressive. This past season, he was selected the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year for football (college division) -- becoming just the second Bulldog athlete in any sport to be so honored -- in addition to being one of 16 winners of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, which includes an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. A two-time CoSIDA All-Academic All-America first team selection (2009 and 2010) and the winner of the inaugural Bob Stein College Scholar-Athlete Award (Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation), Odim maintains a 3.86 cumulative grade point average and will graduate later this month with a degree in mechanical engineering. Odim is just the seventh male ever to claim both UMD's Outstanding Senior Athlete and Top Scholar Athlete citations.
Anderson, a 2007 graduate of Duluth East High School (where she was a classmate of Leider's), has compiled a 3.95 GPA while majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. She landed the NSIC's Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award (top female student-athlete) in 2010-11 in addition to attaining CoSIDA Academic All-American second team status. Anderson also earned a NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award as a senior and a NCAA post graduate scholarship. A three-year starter for the soccer Bulldogs, she wrapped up her playing career ranking third on UMD's all-time assist list (24) and paced the 2010 Bulldogs in that same department with eight while adding two goals in 20 appearances.
Schmidt, who is majoring in statistics and actuarial science, owns a 3.70 cumulative grade point average and is a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award winner (a program first). He has qualified for the School of Science and Engineering Dean's List on three occasions and earned a spot on the UMD Athletic Support Center Scholar List for maintaining the highest cumulative grade point average of any Bulldog as both a freshman and sophomore. Schmidt has also made the WCHA All-Academic Team in each of the past three years, and has been a member of the UMD Actuary Club and a tutor at the UMD Tutoring Center since arriving on campus. On April 8, he was bestowed with the Hockey Commissioner's Association Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award (the first Bulldog to be so recognized) and one day later scored the overtime game in UMD's NCAA title game victory over the University of Michigan. The Hermantown, Minn. native enjoyed his most productive season as a Bulldog this winter, establishing career highs for scoring (22 points), assists (11), and power-play goals (three) even after being sidelined for seven games during the midseason while nursing an injured hand.
Hines, a four-time track and cross country letterwinner, is double majoring in exercise science and psychology and has a 3.96 cumulative GPA to show for it. She has already secured an NCAA post-graduate scholarship and during the course of her time at UMD earned the from the College of Education and Human Service's Bohannon Scholarship, which is based on academic standing, scholarly activity and university involvement. Hines, who is from Maple Grove, Minn., has attained USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors twice and NSIC All-Academic Team acclaim on nine total occasions. She was also presented with a NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award this past season.
Over the past five years, Kunz has been heavily involved in a number of volunteering endeavors including the Grant Elementary Reading Program, the "Adopt-A-Grandparent" program at Duluth's Aftenro nursing home, "Take Back the Night", Adopt-a-Family through the Salvation Army, the Polar Plunge, "I Love to Read" Month at Congdon Park Elementary School, Make-A-Wish and "Turf Time" with the Boy and Girls Club of Duluth. The 2010 All-NSIC first team pick has also volunteered his time with Men as Peacemakers, the Damiano Soup Kitchen and the Timber Bay Camp for at-risk youths in Brainerd, Minn. Kunz, who has served as president for both the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, at UMD, helped with the recent creation of the "Champions Incentive," a mentoring program designed to model healthy relationships and create a positive culture for gender roles. That program is set to launch this summer in Duluth.
