RENO — A two-time conference champion in swimming and a three-time All-Mountain West football star have been selected as the recipients of the year’s most outstanding senior student-athlete awards at the University of Nevada for 2018-19.
Rebecca Murray, who won back-to-back MW titles in the 100 freestyle as a junior and senior to go along with a slew of academic honors including Nevada’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award this spring, was voted the winner of the Ruth I. Russell Award as Nevada’s outstanding female senior student-athlete.
Malik Reed, who was a three-time All-Mountain West selection and who shared the Golden Helmet Award as Nevada’s Most Valuable Player while leading the Pack to eight wins, including a bowl game victory, was voted the winner of the Doc Martie Award as Nevada’s outstanding male senior student-athlete.
“Rebecca and Malik are both outstanding student-athletes and their accomplishments at Nevada, from competition to the classroom to the community, have been extraordinary,” athletics director Doug Knuth said. “They are both well deserving of these prestigious honors and we’re proud to have them as representatives of our University.”
Reed is the second football player in as many years to win the award after Austin Corbett won last year.
Murray is the first swimmer since Mengjiao Mi won win 2013, but the fifth members of the swimming and diving program to win in the last seven years, joining divers Sharae Zheng (2018), Krysta Palmer (2016) and Grace Huang (2014).
The men’s award is named for J.E. "Doc" Martie, a former Nevada men's basketball coach and administrator, while the women's honor is named for Ruth I. Russell, a former director of women's athletics.
Student-athletes are nominated by their head coaches and must be in their final year of eligibility and in good academic standing. The award winners are nominated by their head coaches and selected in a vote by the athletics department staff.
