Four Student-Athletes Named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Four Columbia student-athletes were chosen as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars for 2006. To be considered, a student of color must compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2, and be active on his or her campus or in the community.
The lone repeat Columbia honoree on this season's list is junior women's basketball captain Megan Griffith.
Griffith averaged 15.2 points per game, third-best in the Ivy League, while leading the league in assists, averaging 5.48 per game.
She also has participated in numerous basketball camps for area youth. Griffith, a second team All-Ivy honoree, is an economics major from King of Prussia, Pa.
Justin Nunez was named to the football third team.
Nunez came to Columbia as a walk-on freshman and eventually cracked the two-deep as a sophomore, playing in the final nine games of the 2004 season.
The 5-10 cornerback emerged as a regular starter as a junior, playing in all 10 games of the 2005 season. He ranked sixth on the team with 49 tackles, including three tackles for a loss.
The American studies major from Englewood, N.J. has participated in the Columbia football Toys for Tots Christmas toy drive and the Thanksgiving canned food drive at Columbia.
Sophomore center Ben Nwachukwu is a first-time Sports Scholar honoree, earning first-team men's basketball honors.
Nwachukwu, one of the Ivy League's most athletic centers, averaged 10.5 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. He Four Student-Athletes Named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars
Ben Nwachukwu Named to the Basketball First Team
May 17, 2006
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Four Columbia student-athletes were chosen as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars for 2006. To be considered, a student of color must compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2, and be active on his or her campus or in the community.
The lone repeat Columbia honoree on this season's list is junior women's basketball captain Megan Griffith.
Griffith averaged 15.2 points per game, third-best in the Ivy League, while leading the league in assists, averaging 5.48 per game.
She also has participated in numerous basketball camps for area youth. Griffith, a second team All-Ivy honoree, is an economics major from King of Prussia, Pa.
Justin Nunez was named to the football third team.
Nunez came to Columbia as a walk-on freshman and eventually cracked the two-deep as a sophomore, playing in the final nine games of the 2004 season.
The 5-10 cornerback emerged as a regular starter as a junior, playing in all 10 games of the 2005 season. He ranked sixth on the team with 49 tackles, including three tackles for a loss.
The American studies major from Englewood, N.J. has participated in the Columbia football Toys for Tots Christmas toy drive and the Thanksgiving canned food drive at Columbia.
Sophomore center Ben Nwachukwu is a first-time Sports Scholar honoree, earning first-team men's basketball honors.
Nwachukwu, one of the Ivy League's most athletic centers, averaged 10.5 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. He ranked second on the team in scoring and rebounding and was ranked in the top ten in the League in both categories all season.
He finished with 15 double-digit scoring games, with three double-doubles. Nwachukwu was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Dec. 19 and his game-winning tip-in against Penn gave the Lions their first victory over the Quakers since 2001.
A pre-med major from Enugu, Nigeria, Nwachukwu did medical research over the summer and also participated in a play day at Morgan Stanley Children's hospital.
A two-time co-captain, Jeff Sato is also a first-time honoree. After transferring from UC Davis, the Pismo Beach, Calif. native came to Columbia as a sophomore and was a three-time EIWA placewinner and earned two NCAA berths during his Columbia career.
His decorated career also included two All-Ivy League selections, two Academic All-Ivy League honors and two New York State championships. An active participant in Columbia's youth wrestling clinics for the Morningside Heights area, Sato recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology. second on the team in scoring and rebounding and was ranked in the top ten in the League in both categories all season.
He finished with 15 double-digit scoring games, with three double-doubles. Nwachukwu was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Dec. 19 and his game-winning tip-in against Penn gave the Lions their first victory over the Quakers since 2001.
A pre-med major from Enugu, Nigeria, Nwachukwu did medical research over the summer and also participated in a play day at Morgan Stanley Children's hospital.
A two-time co-captain, Jeff Sato is also a first-time honoree. After transferring from UC Davis, the Pismo Beach, Calif. native came to Columbia as a sophomore and was a three-time EIWA placewinner and earned two NCAA berths during his Columbia career.
His decorated career also included two All-Ivy League selections, two Academic All-Ivy League honors and two New York State championships. An active participant in Columbia's youth wrestling clinics for the Morningside Heights area, Sato recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology.
