By: Joey Daniels
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Recently-graduated Green Bay women's basketball student-athlete Ellen Edison has been named the women's recipient of the Horizon League's 2014-15 Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor, becoming the eighth female from Green Bay to win the award and the sixth Phoenix basketball player overall.
The Horizon League's highest individual honor, the Coleman Medal of Honor is presented annually to the League's top male and female student-athletes who best exemplify the dignity and high purpose of the League and its membership. The individuals demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities. Candidates must be seniors who have exhausted their eligibility and were participants on the varsity level in a League-sponsored sport. In addition, nominees must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, or its equivalent.
“I am very honored to have received the Cecil M. Coleman Medal of Honor. Without the support of the athletic department, faculty, friends and family, I could never have earned this award. A sincere thank you to all of those who have helped me along my journey in athletics and academics. I am very proud to have been able to represent UW-Green Bay and the Horizon League,” Edison said.
Edison graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors in the Major GPA with a 3.901. She was awarded the Chancellor's Leadership Medallion this past spring and received academic honors in each semester during her time at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
She becomes the fifth member from the women's basketball program to win the Coleman Award and the seventh Phoenix female overall. Edison joins Chari Nordgaard (1998-99), Kristy Loiselle (2002-03), Kayla Tetschlag (2010-11) and Julie Wojta (2011-12) to achieve this honor.
“Ellen Edison is a great person and she always has a smile on her face. She is very dedicated in everything that she does. The faculty really enjoyed working with her and she was also a great teammate. When you look for the perfect student-athlete, Ellen is just that. All of her balls are in the air, she has the perfect balance of social life, academics and athletics. Ellen is very worthy of this award and we are very proud of this accomplishment,” head coach Kevin Borseth said.
The native of Maple Grove, Minn., was very active in the community. She served as an Athletes in Action leader, a Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) member, a personal tutor on campus and as a teaching assistant in anatomy and physiology. Edison conducted an “Honors Project” where she studied the effects of chronic exercise training on glucocorticoid levels and neuroplasticity.
“We are so proud of Ellen and all that she has accomplished in the classroom, in the community and on the court. She is an amazing young woman who has represented herself and her family, our women's basketball program and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with nothing but integrity, confidence and poise. Ellen is truly deserving of this honor,” Director of Athletics Mary Ellen Gillespie said.
On the court, Edison helped Green Bay capture its 17th, 16th and 15th consecutive Horizon League Championships. She played a role in the team's two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2013, along with a WNIT appearance in 2014. Sporting the #21, Edison appeared in over 70 games and scored over 200 points.
Edison graduated in May with a degree in Human Biology and is going to be working as a nursing assistant and becoming EMT certified.
The 2014-15 Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor on the men's side was men's soccer player Matt Ybarra from Detroit.
Each Horizon League institution has the opportunity to nominate a male and female student-athlete for the Coleman Medal of Honor. Nominees for the 2015 award included Maggie Hannon (volleyball) of Cleveland State; Detroit's Louisa Coppola (cross country/track and field) and Matt Ybarra (soccer); Green Bay's Ellen Edison (basketball) and Michael Tenzer (tennis); Milwaukee's Ashley Green (basketball) and Sam Koenig (baseball); Taylor Humm (volleyball) and Corey Petros (basketball) of Oakland; Vince Errichiello (swimming and diving) and Erica Hampton (soccer) of UIC; Valparaiso's Jessica Richardson (cross country/track and field) and Tom Serratore (soccer); Allie Metzler (soccer) and Michael Timm (baseball) of Wright State; and Youngstown State's Marta Burak (tennis) and Eric Rupe (cross country and track and field).
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