JENNY IRWIN SELECTED AS FERRIS' HELEN BENNETT AWARD RECIPIENT

Senior Runner Named School's Outstanding Female Student-Athlete

Jenny Irwin is this year's Helen Bennett Award winner at Ferris State

The award, which is named in honor of late university faculty member Helen Bennett, is sponsored annually by the Ferris Professional Women’s (FPW) organization to a female senior student-athlete combining performance both in the classroom and athletics. Bennett was the wife of longtime FSU golf and track coach Norm Bennett (1956-71), who began the award in her memory and was later inducted into the Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. He directed the building of FSU's Katke Golf Course and Ewigleben Ice Arena along with being instrumental in forming the nation's first Professional Golf Management program at Ferris State.

Irwin is the sixth member with ties to the FSU women's track & field/cross country program to earn the award, joining Monica Ferguson (1992-93), Melissa Thomas (1994-95), Pam Preston (2000-01), Morgan Buckner (2001-02) and last year's recipient Crystal Flutur (2004-05).

Irwin picked up All-America accolades in the final day of action (May 27) this spring at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Emporia State's (Kan.) Zola Witten Track inside Fran Welch Stadium at Emporia, Kan. She took fourth place overall (4:38.11) in the 1,500 meters in her final collegiate race. Irwin also competed in the 800 meters at the national meet, but failed to advance to the final round of competition.

This year marked the second consecutive year Irwin picked up All-America honors in the 1,500 meters as she posted a fourth-place finish in the event (4:30.60) at the 2005 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships (May 26-28) held at Abilene Christian University's Elmer Gray Stadium in Abilene, Texas. This season also represented Irwin's third consecutive appearance in the NCAA-II Outdoor Championships following an 11th place overall showing in the 1,500 meters (4:40.73) as FSU's lone representative at the 2004 NCAA-II Outdoor Championships (May 27-29) held in Walnut, Calif.

Irwin picked up FSU cross country team Most Valuable Runner accolades in 2005-06 after earning All-America honors with a 20th-place finish in the 25th annual NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country National Championships held last fall (Nov. 19) in Pomona, Calif. Irwin completed the six-kilometer (K) race in a time of 22:11.7 to become the first female women's cross country All-American in Bulldog history. Her performance also represented the highest finish ever for a FSU women's performer at the Division II Women's Cross Country Championships. A four-year letterwinner, Irwin claimed first-team All-GLIAC honors for the third consecutive season during the fall 2005 campaign with a runner-up effort (22:57.6) at the 2005 GLIAC Championships (Oct. 22) in Marquette, Mich.

In addition, Irwin also received Ferris' Most Valuable Runner Award for the women's track and field middle distance/distance events this campaign. She claimed the GLIAC Most Valuable Running Event Athlete Award in the women's competition as she won two individual events and received one runner-up finish at the 2006 GLIAC Outdoor Championships (May 4-5) held at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. Irwin took the 800 meters as she clocked 2:11.44 in the final round and also emerged victorious in the 1,500 meters (4:39.93). She placed second in the 3,000 meters (10:08.63). During the 2005-06 indoor campaign, Irwin earned NCAA-II All-America laurels with a fourth-place overall finish (4:49.13) in the mile run at the NCAA-II Indoor Track and Field Championships (March 10-11) in Boston, Mass.

This season, Irwin was recognized as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Women's Track/Cross Country First-Team selection along with being honored as a Ferris Scholar-Athlete Award recipient. The four-year letterwinner attained GLIAC All-Academic Team honors for the third consecutive year in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track this campaign. She concluded her FSU career with track records in six different events.

In addition, she was one of two FSU student-athletes along with men's basketball senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) chosen to receive the 2005-06 Dean Davenport "Bulldog of the Year" Award, which is presented annually to the school's most oustanding male and female student-athletes.

FPW is a university organization which encourages and promotes women by providing opportunities to consider and act on common interests and issues. Active membership is open to persons employed at Ferris State University, their spouses and retirees.

Helen Bennett Award Recipients:
1986-87 -- Kris Johnson (Volleyball), Sandy Davison (Women's Basketball)
1987-88 -- Karen Kramer (Basketball)
1988-89 -- Janna Biggs (Volleyball)
1989-90 -- Dawn Lowe (Volleyball)
1990-91 -- Kelly Stosik (Volleyball)
1991-92 -- Karen Volkers (Volleyball)
1992-93 -- Monica Ferguson (Track & Field/Cross Country)
1993-94 -- Elizabeth Berry (Tennis)
1994-95 -- Melissa Thomas (Track & Field)
1995-96 -- Melissa Petty (Volleyball)
1996-97 -- Nikki Moeggenborg (Softball)
1997-98 -- Kristen Campbell (Women's Tennis)
1998-99 -- Sherri Harris (Volleyball)
1999-00 -- Anne Bentley (Softball/Tennis)
2000-01 -- Pam Preston (Track & Field/Cross Country)
2001-02 -- Morgan Buckner (Volleyball/Track & Field)
2002-03 -- Suzanne Batten (Tennis)
2003-04 -- Molly Potvin (Basketball)
2004-05 -- Crystal Flutur (Track & Field/Cross Country)
2005-06 -- Jenny Irwin (Track & Field/Cross Country)