Nine Hurricanes Honored As Arthur Ashe Scholars

July 13, 2001

CORAL GABLES, FL – Black Issues in Higher Education has named a total of nine University of Miami student-athletes as 2001 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars. The award was established in 1992 to honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.

To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2, and be active on their campus or in their community.

Five Hurricanes earned first-team honors including Dorothy Clay (Merrillville, IN) and Jenny Lee (Tallahassee, FL) of the women’s crew team, women’s track standout Raquel Scott (Dallas, TX), baseball pitcher Kiki Benogochea (Miami Columbus) and All-American offensive lineman Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami Columbus).

Miami’s five first-team selections are the most of any BIG EAST institution and ranks in a tie for seventh nationally with the University of Florida. The only schools in the nation to record more first-team selections than Miami were Alabama State (8), Louisville (7), Austin Peay State (6), Delaware State (6), Northwestern (6) and Oregon State (6).

In addition, Miami had two second-team and two third-team honorees. Football defensive end Brian Stinson (DeLand, FL) and men’s track sprinter Joseph Mbayen (Paris, France) earned second-team honors while women’s soccer star Lisa Gomez (Boca Raton, FL) and men’s basketball forward James Jones (Miami American) were third-team selections.