July 11, 2006
Conference USA has named its 2005-06 Athletes of the Year, Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced today. Tulsa's Jillian Robbins became the third consecutive women's basketball player to be named Female Athlete of the Year, while Houston baseball standout Brad Lincoln and Memphis football star DeAngelo Williams were honored as co-Male Athletes of the Year.
Robbins led Tulsa to the best season in school history with a 26-6 overall record, Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and the team's first NCAA Tournament berth and victory. The junior forward garnered the league's top individual awards, being named C-USA Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Tournament MVP and First Team All-Conference USA. She was an honorable mention All-America performer last season, just one of two players on the honorable mention squad to receive a vote for the All-America first team. Robbins became just the third player in Conference USA history to lead the league in both scoring (17.9) and rebounding (12.8) in the same season. She also led Tulsa in steals (2.9 pg), blocked shots (2.3 pg), field goals (212) and free throws (147), while chalking up 21 double-doubles.
Lincoln was honored with the 2006 Dick Howser Trophy, given to the nation's top college baseball player. He also was named the American Baseball Coaches Association National Player of the Year and received the Brooks Wallace Award. The junior righthander is a finalist for the Roger Clemens Award (given to the nation's top college pitcher). A consensus First Team All-American, he was a four-time Conference USA Pitcher of the Week and one-time National Pitcher of the Week, while leading the Cougars to a second place finish in C-USA and a berth in the NCAA Championship. Lincoln was the No. 4 overall pick in the June Major League Baseball Draft, the highest a UH or C-USA player has ever been selected. On the mound, he was 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 152 strikeouts with just 32 walks in 127.2 innings pitched. At the plate, he hit .295 with 12 doubles, 14 home runs and a team-high 53 RBI.
A consensus All-American, Williams closed out his career as the most decorated player in Memphis football history. He led the Tigers to their third straight bowl appearance for the first time in school history, winning the Motor City Bowl. Williams was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season after leading the nation in rushing at 178.6 yards per game. He ranked fourth in all-purpose yardage (188.6 ypg) and seventh in scoring (10.4 ppg) after rushing for 18 touchdowns. Williams ran for more than 200 yards in five games in 2005 and closed out his career with 6,026 rushing yards, the fourth-highest total in NCAA Division I history. He also became the NCAA's career leader in all-purpose yardage, finishing with 7,573. Williams was a first round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers.
The 2005-06 athletic season marked the third time that C-USA has honored Male and Female Athletes of the Year. The award is based solely on athletic achievement during an academic year and the winners are determined through a vote by the league's Athletic Directors. TCU captured both of the 2004-05 awards, with women's basketball player Sandora Irvin and baseball player Lance Broadway earning the honors. The 2003-04 winners were Houston women's basketball player Chandi Jones and Tulane men's tennis player Michael Kogan.
