May 14, 2008

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Cross country and track & field standout Page Bridges, women's tennis star Laura Gioia and women's golf coach Jen Hanna highlighted the award winners at Furman's annual Women's Athletics Awards Banquet Wednesday evening at the Hartness Pavilion on the Furman campus.

Bridges, who sports a 3.979 GPA, was named as the recipient of both the Elizabeth Blackwell Academic Achievement Award and the Student-Athlete Achievement Award. The senior and Greenville, S.C., native has been awarded Southern Conference and NCAA post-graduate scholarships and has been accepted into the M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina. A four-year member of the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and Furman's Dean's List, Bridges earned the prestigious title of Beckman Scholar, an award given by the Beckman Foundation to top students from schools such as Princeton, Yale, Duke and Furman.

The chemistry major holds the school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and claimed first in the event at the 2008 Furman Blue Shoes Invitational. She also posted a personal best time at this past year's SoCon Cross Country Championship helping Furman to a third place finish.

Gioia, a first team All-Southern Conference pick and SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player, guided the Furman women's tennis team to its sixth straight SoCon Championship this spring. Along the way, the junior helped Furman extend its record SoCon regular season winning streak to 88 matches as the Paladins earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's Clemson Regional. Gioia posted a 22-2 singles record and 18-4 doubles mark for the season while being named SoCon Player-of-the-Month for April and twice garnering SoCon Player-of-the-Week accolades. The Tampa, Fla., native is currently ranked 86th in the latest Fila/ITA singles poll and has earned a bid to the 2008 NCAA Singles Championship.

Hanna, in her third year as coach of the Furman women's golf program, became the first former Edna Hartness Female Athlete-of-the-Year to also earn J. Lyles Alley Coach-of-the-Year honors. Hanna helped Furman claim its 12th Southern Conference title, an eighth place showing at the NCAA East Regional and a bid to the 24-team NCAA Championship May 20-23, in Albuquerque, N.M. Paladin freshman Stefanie Kenoyer earned SoCon individual medalist honors while joining fellow freshman Jackie Hilea and 2007 SoCon medalist Blair Lamb on the All-SoCon team. Hanna, a two-time SoCon Player-of-the-Year, earned Female Athlete-of-the-Year honors after earning first team NGCA All-American honors.