1-General | 8/15/2001 6:02:00 PM

The Barry University Athletic Department celebrated its 17th annual Sports Awards Banquet Monday, April 23 at the Fort Lauderdale Airport Hilton Hotel. Senior soccer player Andy Hylton and senior tennis player Christian Witt were named the co-Male Athlete-of-the-Year and senior soccer player Merry Osikowicz was named the Female Athlete-of-the-Year.

Hylton, who was a second team NSCAA All-American and Sunshine State Conference Player-of-the-Year, led the Barry men's soccer team to the NCAA Division II championship game for the first time in school history. During his four-year career at Barry, he was named to the Sunshine State All-Conference team four straight years.

Witt, a three-time ITA All-American and two-time Rolex Small College National Champion, has led the Buccaneers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2000, he was named the Sunshine State Conference co-Player of the Year.

Osikowicz, a two-time NSCAA All-American, led the Bucs to back-to-back NCAA Division II National Semifinal appearances and back-to-back Sunshine State Conference titles.

Senior basketball player Peter Riggs was named Male Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year and senior softball player Lindsay Anderson was named Female Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year.

Riggs, the starting center for the men's basketball team at Barry this season, has a 3.817 in political science and plans on attending Law School in the fall. He earned Verizon District III All-Academic honors this year, has been a member of the Honor Roll at Barry in each of his eight semesters, and has been a member of the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll three straight years.

Anderson, a starting pitcher and designated player for the Buccaneers for the past four seasons, has a 3.969 gpa in psychology. She is a two-time GTE Academic All-American (1998 and 2000) and has been a member of the President's List at Barry every semester during her four-year career at Barry. She has also been a member of the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for three straight years.