May 1, 2007

BEAUMONT - Lamar University seniors Dusty Smith and Amanda King took home the top honors as the male and female athletes of the year, respectively, and junior Clerc Koenck was the recipient of the Babe Zaharias/John Gray Award Monday night at the annual All-Sports Banquet at the University Reception Center on the eight floor of the Mary and John Gray Library.

Smith, a four-year letterwinner on the men's golf team, is a three-time All-Southland Conference performer, including earning second-team honors this season. He has posted three top 10 finishes at the SLC championship, including tying for fourth place this season.

A native of The Woodlands, Smith has helped Lamar win two straight SLC championships and advance to four straight NCAA Regional Tournaments. He helped Lamar advance to the NCAA Championship last season, where he tied for 10th place. Smith was an honorable mention Ping All-America selection last season.

A four-year letterwinner, King has been an outstanding performer on the track and in cross country for the Lady Cardinals, earning All-SLC honors 10 times. She has helped Lamar win three straight SLC cross country titles and finished in fourth place individually in both 2005 and 2006. Lamar placed third at the NCAA Regional in Waco and she earned all-region honors by posting a 19th place finish.

Amanda King was named senior Female Athlete of the Year.

A native of Tauranga, New Zealand, King won conference championships in the indoor mile and on a pair of distance medley relays. She holds the school and SLC record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, winning the 2006 outdoor championship and qualifying for the NCAA Regional meet.

Erik Kanaby of the baseball team and LaToya Carson of the women's basketball team were honored with Mary and John Gray Awards as the graduating seniors with the highest grade point averages.

Koenck, a three-year letterwinner on the women's track team, was named this year's recipient of the Zaharias Award, which is given annually to the top senior-to-be female student-athlete and is based on athletics, academics and leadership.

A native of Anacoco, La., Koenck has helped Lamar capture three straight SLC cross country championships (2004-06). She became the first Lady Cardinal to win the SLC cross country championship since 1986. She helped Lamar to a third place finish at the NCAA Regional in Waco and earned all-region honors with a 16th place finish.

Koenck has also excelled on the track, winning three events at the 2007 SLC Indoor Championship. She captured the mile and the 3,000-meter run, and helped Lamar win the distance medley relay. She was the high point scorer at the SLC Indoor Championship and was named outstanding track performer and indoor track athlete of the year. She is a perfect five-for-five in championship races since winning the 1,500-meters at last years SLC Outdoor Championship.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) created the Sportsmanship Award in 2006, which is given annually to the student-athlete who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility.

The second recipient of the Sportsmanship Award, which is voted on by the student-athletes, is Michael Ambort of the baseball team. A three-year letterwinner from Rockville Centre, N.Y., Ambort was the 2005 SLC hitter of the year and was named second-team All-America by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and third-team All-America by Baseball America.

After receiving a medical redshirt last season, Ambort has returned to top form this year. He was named to the Wallace Award Watch List and the Johnny Bench Award Watch List. He became the school's all-time home run leader earlier this season and is approaching the all-time runs batted in record.