Butler's A.J. Graves, Wright State's Jessica Weidert Receive Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor

July 10, 2008

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Men's basketball standout A.J. Graves of Butler University (Switz City, Ind./White River Valley) and women's swimming and diving record-setter Jessica Weidert (Spokane, Wash./Mead) of Wright State University have been named the recipients of the Horizon League's 2007-08 Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor, Commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Thursday (July 10).


The Horizon League's highest individual honor, the Coleman Award is presented annually to the Horizon League's top male and female student-athletes who best exemplify the dignity and high purpose of the Horizon League and its membership. The individuals demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities. Candidates must be a senior who has exhausted his/her eligibility and was a participant 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.


"We are exceptionally proud of what A.J. and Jessica have accomplished in their collegiate careers as individuals and as members of highly successful teams," said LeCrone. "While student-athletes so often get praised for their work on the court or on the field, the Coleman Award also recognizes athletes for their character and tireless efforts in the classroom and community. These two individuals exemplify what our four platforms are all about, and we wish them well in their future endeavors."


Graves, a 6-foot-1 guard, was a two-time first-team All-Horizon League selection and received All-America honorable mention as a junior when he helped lead Butler to share of the Horizon League regular-season title and the Regional semifinals of the NCAA Championship. As a senior, he averaged 13.6 points per game with 95 three-pointers as the Bulldogs won the League's regular-season and tournament titles en route to a school-record 30 wins. Graves was named co-recipient of Butler's Most Outstanding Senior Male Athlete Award and finished his career as the school's third all-time leading scorer with 1,807 points.


Of the court, he was the first two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America in Butler basketball history, earning first-team honors in 2006-07 and second-team this past season. Graves, who also was named to the Horizon League Academic All-League Team three times, graduated this past spring from Butler with a bachelor's degree in actuarial science with a 3.369 grade-point average. He is now working as a financial analyst for AIT Laboratories in Indianapolis, one of the nation's leading forensics labs.


At Butler, Graves was a member of the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and participated in reading programs for the Harrison Hills School and the Marion County Public Library. In addition, he volunteered at the North United Methodist Church soup kitchen.


"A.J. is one of the most focused and mature young men that I have ever been around," said Butler men's basketball head coach Brad Stevens. "His achievement in the classroom and on the court is a direct result of his commitment to performing each task to the best of his ability. He represents Butler University well in the community and is a person that is focused only on team achievement."


Graves is the sixth Butler men's student-athlete to receive the Coleman Medal and the fifth basketball player, joining Jody Littrell (1989-90), Chris Miskel (1995-96), Jon Neuhouser (1997-98) and Brandon Miller (2002-03).


Weidert (pronounced WHY-dert) was voted the Horizon League's 2007-08 Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year and the Swimmer of the Meet at the League championships. She set League records at the conference meet in the 200 breaststroke and the 200 and 400 individual medleys while leading Wright State to a second-place finish in the team standings. A two-time team captain, she is the Horizon League's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year, which will be announced this fall.


Out of the pool, Weidert was an ESPN The Magazine second-team Academic All-America, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average from Wright State this spring with a bachelor's degree in modern languages. She is currently continuing her education at Wright State in pursuit of a master's degree in education. Weidert was a two-time recipient of Wright State's Dr. Carl Benner Scholar-Athlete Award and was selected as a College of Liberal Arts Top Scholar in 2008.


Weidert was a member of Wright State's SAAC and the Gang Green Environmental Action Group on campus. She has also volunteered as a swim coach with the Special Olympics, taught local youth swimming lessons and was the student-athlete member of Wright State's athletic director search committee earlier this year.


"This is a great honor for Jessica and the University," said Sion Brinn, Wright State's head swimming and diving coach. "She has worked very hard in and out of the pool during her time at Wright State, which has made her into the well-rounded person she is today. I would love for her to be a teacher of my child."

Weidert is the first Wright State women's student-athlete to earn the Coleman Medal and just the second from the school; Raiders baseball standout Andy Matko received the men's honor in 1996-97. She is also the first women's swimmer or diver to claim the honor since Andrea Bonny of former member University of Notre Dame did so 20 years ago.


Each Horizon League institution had the opportunity to nominate a male and female student-athlete for the Coleman Medal of Honor. The other nominees were Paige McCracken (golf) of Butler; Brad Groleski (tennis) and Mel Snyder (volleyball) of Cleveland State University; Mark Sommerfeld (golf) and Mandi Dupuis (golf) of the University of Detroit Mercy; Kerry Brennan (cross country/track and field) of the University of Illinois at Chicago; Markian Zyga (soccer) and Nora Schober (softball) of Loyola University Chicago; Tim Prudlow (tennis) and Betty Slinger (volleyball) of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; Steven Bode (soccer) and Leanne Felsing (volleyball) of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Zach Rodeghero (baseball) and Andrea Zappia (softball) of Valparaiso University; Micah Belew (swimming and diving) of Wright State; and Josh Page (baseball) and Jessica Fraley (volleyball) of Youngstown State University.