April 29, 2008

Photo Gallery

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. - University of Rhode Island seniors Jill Anderson (softball), Will Daniels (men's basketball), Damien Gresko (football) and Dora Larusdottir (women's soccer) received the athletic department's four major awards while the entire student-athlete class of 2008 was honored, Monday night at the Narragansett Towers.

Anderson and Gresko received the Elizabeth Holmes Award - presented annually to the female and male graduating senior who combined exceptional scholastic achievement with outstanding athletic talent. Daniels took home the Albert LeBoeuf Award while Larusdottir was given the Winifred Keaney Award - both of which are presented to the most outstanding male/female student-athlete who has been a role model in his/her collegiate career and has remained in good academic standing.

While maintaining a Dean's List grade point average as a political science major/philosophy minor, Anderson has served as a member of the Peer Advocate Program, Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), URI Athletic Dept. Life Skills Advisory Board, Mentor/Tutor Internship Program as well as the Phi Eta Sigma (Freshman) and Chi Alpha Sigma (NCAA) honor societies. Most recently, she received the 2008 Rainville Student Leadership Award, which honors a URI student who is successful in various leadership roles while maintaining a good academic record.

Anderson also served as a volunteer for Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as well as the Gilda's Club Cancer Foundation and has been involved with numerous campus-wide workshops and programs designed to educate and increase awareness regarding sexual assault, domestic violence and drug/alcohol-related issues.

Gresko is a three-time Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team selection who also was named to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll. A member of both Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, he received the URI President's Perfect Performer Scholarship in 2004, which recognizes students who have maintained a 4.00 GPA during their first year of college.

A two-time recipient of the A.A. Savastano Scholar-Athlete Award, Gresko also earned the Grace B. Sherrer Award, which is presented annually to the top honors student at URI. He holds a 3.98 GPA as an accounting and finance major, has been selected to the Dean's List on eight occasions and landed a spot on the 2007 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team.

Daniels, a two time All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection, finished his career among the top-10 scorers in Rhode Island history. This season alone, the 6-8 senior led the Rams and ranked fourth in the conference with 18.6 points per game. He also earned three A-10 Player of the Week awards and was named the Rhode Island Men's Division I Co-Player of the Year, after helping lead the Rams to a 21-12 overall record and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.

Daniels also landed a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District I First Team as well as the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District team and was a national finalist for the prestigious Naismith Award - named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, founder of the game of basketball, and awarded annually to the National Player of the Year - as well as the Lowe's Men's Basketball Senior CLASS Award, which is presented each year to the outstanding senior NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year.

He was ESPN/Dick Vitale's pick for the Jan. 14, 2008 National Player of the Week award and went on to become the first player in Rhode Island history to participate in the prestigious NABC All-Star game, held in San Antonio, Texas during the Final Four weekend. He also was chosen for the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is one of the nation's top showcases for senior student-athletes.

Daniels has been equally committed to his off-the-court activities, spending countless hours volunteering at youth basketball clinics and taking part in numerous speaking engagements at local schools. He also spent the summer of 2007 working in the recreation department at the Fishkill Correctional Facility in his native New York.

A native of Iceland, Larusdottir - who came to Rhode Island speaking little English - has managed to maintain a 3.10 cumulative GPA as a Finance major and will graduate this May - a year early. A three-time All-Atlantic selection, she led the team in scoring this past season and was named to the 2007 NSCAA All-Northeast Region team. She finished her URI career with 59 points on 22 goals and 15 assists.

Larusdottir also has competed with the Icelandic National team as a member of the Under-17 and Under-21 programs, juggling athletics and academics at URI with several trips back to Europe each year to compete for the Icelandic National Team at top international events, including World Cup qualifying games.

Prior to the presentation of these four awards, all student-athletes in attendance were presented with their varsity letter as well as a senior gift.