Barteau, Douglass Win Top Sports Honors

SOCORRO, N.M. April 26, 2011 -- Elizabeth Barteau and Jacob Douglass won the New Mexico Tech's Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year for 2010-2011.

	Jacob Douglass and Elizabeth Barteau won the top sports awards at New Mexico Tech for the 2010-2011 year.

Their selections by a panel of their peers representing Tech's 15 sport clubs were announced at the annual sport club awards banquet April 17. Barteau is a member of Tech's shooting sports club while Douglass represents the men's soccer club.

With more than 150 collegiate athletes, coaches and advisors in attendance, outstanding members of each Tech sport club were recognized for their achievements and contributions. Clubs in attendance were caving, climbing, cricket, golf, paintball, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, shooting sports, and women's and men's teams in rugby, soccer, and men’s and women’s volleyball.

Several club members enjoyed an afternoon golf outing on the New Mexico Tech course, and a slideshow of the year's sporting highlights was shown prior to dinner and ceremonies at the course's outdoor pavilion.

Barteau took up shooting as a girl in the national 4H program. She was one of four Tech shooters, along with Coach Virginia McLemore, who traveled to Charleston, South Carolina April 6-11 to compete in the NRA National Intercollegiate Rifle Club National Championships at The Citadel.

Under the pressure of advanced competition, Elizabeth was Tech's top performer at nationals, shooting a personal best score and placing 12th out of 30 shooters in the individual .22 rifle championships. A graduate of Socorro High School, she is a sophomore studying technical communication and civil engineering who is also active in the Society for Technical Communicators. Elizabeth was cited in a nominating document for being instrumental in the formation of Tech’s rifle team, bringing Coach McLemore on board and even loaning equipment to her teammates.

After playing for the Miners soccer team as a freshman Jacob Douglass had to step back from the Miners for a time in order to honor his commitments as a residential advisor and later as vice president of the New Mexico Tech Student Association.

Now a junior chemistry major, Jake returned to the fold this year and became an inspirational captain. In a nominating document a teammate singled Jacob out for being “always on task, giving 110 percent, and urging everyone else to do the same . . . willing and able to play anywhere on the pitch.”

Jacob’s enthusiasm was not in vain as the Miners finished with their best season ever in a tough league featuring much larger institutions including University of Arizona, Arizona State, University of Texas at El Paso, and New Mexico State University. For the first time in a season, the team beat UTEP, NMSU (twice), United World College (twice), and drew with Fort Lewis College.

Douglass’ commitment to the team carries outside the lines as a self-motivated fundraiser and representative of his club on community volunteer projects. He is a graduate of Roswell Goddard High School.

Other Tech sport clubs enjoying banner years were women’s soccer, cricket, volleyball, and the revitalized ultimate Frisbee club.

New Mexico Tech's sport club program is administered by the Department of Physical Recreation. Individuals interested in joining or forming a sport club at NMT can contact club coordinator Dave Wheelock at (575) 835-5854, dwheelock@admin.nmt.edu.

–  NMT –

By Dave Wheelock /Tech Club Sport Coordinator