LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. (April 17, 2011) — The Lincoln University athletic department named linebacker Brucelee Sterile (Miami, Fla./North Miami Beach HS) and Kristina Rembert (Bronx, NY/Cathedral) of the women's cross country and track & field teams the best student-athletes of the 2010-11 year at its annual awards banquet Sunday evening.

The two were named Male and Female Athlete of the Year because of the high-quality resumes they boasted. Sterile was named to the All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Super Region I second teams as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Star team. He finished 2010 ranked No. 30 in tackles by averaging 9.0 per game while leading the country's 15th-ranked defense that surrendered just 270.5 yards per game.

Rembert led the team in each of the team's seven cross country races and placed 12th at the CIAA Conference Championships on Oct. 21 in Cary, N.C. After consistently being Lincoln's top performer during the indoor season, she broke out has won three 400-meter titles.

The coronation was just part of the festivities that included Sean Adams as the guest speaker. An All-American track-and-field athlete at Abilene Christian from 1992-1994 and currently a sports journalist and radio-show host for ESPN-Austin in Texas, Adams relayed valuable life lessons to LU's crop of student-athletes.

He said that his overconfidence had rubbed his teammates the wrong way but that he learned humility and the importance of hard work through his second-place finishes at the National Championships. Although he had been a member of victorious teams, the individual titles he so coveted remained elusive his entire career, which he channeled into motivation for his successes.

“People will tell you that these might be the best years of your life,” he said. “For me, today is the best day of my life, because I get to use the education I received at a Division II school to have the opportunities I have today. I've been fortunate to cover national championships, Final Fours, Super Bowls and a wide range of sporting events, but the best part of what I get to do is interact with you, the student-athletes, and share what I learned since I was a young kid growing up in Oakland.”

Other awards were also distributed. Cynthia Johnson (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) was one of the night's big winners, claiming the Female Rookie of the Year in both women's basketball and volleyball while also boasting the highest GPA of any Lady Lion on the volleyball team.

Baseball's Demitrius Morris (Newark, Del./Hodgson Vo-Tech) was named the Male Rookie of the Year after finishing with the team's top ERA with 4.11. He recorded Lincoln's first-ever win over Shaw University and held a no-hitter deep into the first game of a doubleheader against Virginia State, which the Lions won in their final at-bat. Morris drew a no-decision.

One of the most distinguished awards is the Dr. Frank “Tick” Coleman Sportsmanship Award, named for Frank “Tick” Coleman who graduated from Lincoln in 1935. Dr. Coleman played quarterback from 1931-1935 and is regarded as the Original Mr. Lincoln. This award is presented to the male and female athlete that demonstrated the essential elements of sportsmanship: character, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. This year's recipients were Aaron Hunter (Sharon Hill, PA/Academy Park) of the men's track & field team and Mariah Liberty (Waterbury, Vt./Harwood Union HS) of the women's soccer and softball programs.