UCI athletes honored

Women’s distance runner Kareen Nilsson and men’s soccer player Sean

Gesell have been named UC Irvine’s Big West Scholar-Athletes of the Year

and will be honored at the annual Big West Scholar-Athlete Banquet

Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Anaheim Sheraton.

Each Big West Conference school selects a male and female

student-athlete. The athletes are honored for athletic and academic

achievement.

Nilsson, a senior, is a double major in English and drama with a minor

in education. In track, she finished 11th in the 10,000 meters at the

2001 NCAA Track & Field Championships and captured the 5,000 title at the

2001 Big West Conference Championships. Nilsson owns the school’s

second-fastest time in the 10,000 and the third-fastest time in the

5,000.

In cross country, she won the 2000 Big West Conference individual

title, capturing 2000 Big West Female Runner of the Year honors.

Her list of honors includes 2000-01 third-team Verizon/Academic

All-America as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of

America. She was named Academic All-American by the Women’s

Intercollegiate Cross Country Association, 2000-01 Lauds & Laurels Senior

Athlete of the Year and Big West All-Academic fall sports’ team selection

three times. Nilsson is the chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory

Committee.

Gesell, a film studies major, was a 2001 first-team All-Big West

selection as a defender. The senior was UCI’s defensive MVP, anchoring a

defense that ranked 13th in shutout percentage and 19th in goals-against

average nationally last fall.

Gesell helped lead the Anteaters to a school-record 10 shutouts in

2001. He was also received honorable mention for All-Mountain Pacific

Sports Federation honors in 2000. In the classroom, Gesell was an MPSF

All-Academic selection in 1999 and 2000 as well as an All-Big West Fall

Academic selection. He received the UCI Athletics Leadership Award in

2000, has twice served as the chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory

Committee, and is currently the vice chair for community relations.