Porter, Ofili Named 2008 U-M Athletes of the Year
6/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | General, Ice Hockey, Women's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Athletic Department announced today (June 23) that senior hockey forward Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.) and track and field junior Tiffany Ofili (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti HS) have been selected as its 2007-08 Male and Female Athletes of the Year. The pair was also nominated for the Big Ten Conference Suzy Favor Female and Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year awards.
Porter capped off a career season by winning the Hobey Baker Award, honoring him as college hockey's top student-athlete; he joins NHL veteran Brendan Morrison (1997) as the only two Wolverines to win the award. Porter was also named the 2007-08 Player of the Year by College Hockey News and Inside College Hockey.
Michigan's team captain in 2007-08, Porter led the Wolverines to a record of 33-6-4 and their first berth into the NCAA Frozen Four since 2003. He led U-M to CCHA regular-season and postseason championships, as well as the Great Lakes Invitational title and the nation's No. 1 ranking for more than half the season. He was recognized as the CCHA Player of the Year and was an All-CCHA first-team selection as the league's leading scorer (22-20-42).
In the 2008 NCAA East Regional (March 28-29), Porter tallied five goals and one assist, and earned Most Outstanding Player honors and all-tournament team recognition. Porter had one assist in Michigan's 5-4 overtime loss to Notre Dame in the Frozen Four semifinals.
Porter's 183 career points tie him for 17th place all-time in U-M's record book. His 85 career goals rank 19th among Wolverine forwards, while his 98 career assists are tied for 19th among forwards. A general studies major in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Porter signed with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes in April.
A two-time NCAA champion and All-American in 2008, Ofili led U-M to a pair of top-10 finishes at the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships. The team co-captain won national titles in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 100-meter hurdles, repeating as the 100m hurdles national champion.
The school record-holder in the 60-meter hurdles (7.94) and 100-meter hurdles (12.37), Ofili is the first U-M sprinter in program history to claim consecutive NCAA outdoor titles and All-America honors in back-to-back seasons. She is also the first Wolverine to win three consecutive national championships (two outdoor, one indoor) in school history.
At the 2008 Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships, Ofili claimed titles in the long jump (20-6 1/2) and 60-meter hurdles (8.06) en route to earning Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors. She also was named the 2008 Great Lakes Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Ofili will be participating at the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. (June 27-July 6) in the 100-meter hurdles (July 5) A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and CoSIDA Academic All-District second-team honoree in 2008, she will enroll in U-M's School of Pharmacy this fall.
Players Mentioned
