Nov. 29, 2004

Columbia, Mo. -Senior Becca Dawson of the Missouri women's swim team and redshirt freshman Tim Kephart of the wrestling team were named this week's Lathrop & Gage student-athletes of the week. Both student-athletes hold above a 3.0 grade-point average, contribute significantly to their respective team and donate their time to the surrounding community.

This week's honorees are both natives of Missouri. Dawson, of Wildwood. Mo., holds a 3.66 grade-point average in nutritional science. In the pool, Dawson most recently finished fourth in the 400 IM and 100 butterfly at the TYR Invitational (Nov. 19-21) in Evanston, Ill. Dawson had a first place showing in the 100-yard butterfly on Nov. 6, in the Tigers' dual win over Southern Illinois. Aside from her school work and athletics, Dawson was a member of the Multiple Sclerosis 150 team, riding her bike to raise money for a cure for MS.

Kephart, a native of O'Fallon, Mo., took third place at the Oklahoma Open last Saturday. The Missouri wrestling season began Nov. 14, at the Central Missouri State Open and Kephart holds nine wins to his name. Opening his season with a pin, Kephart has totaled three falls to date, the fastest coming in 41 seconds. Kephart is a business education major with a 3.25 grade-point average. A member of the NCAA Yes Clinic, Kephart speaks with parents of high school wrestlers about life as both a student and an athlete.

The women's swimming and diving team will travel to San Antonio Texas for the US Open Dec. 2-4, while the wrestling team will head west for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 3-4. For ticket information to any of Missouri's upcoming sporting events, visit the website at www.mutigers.com or call 1-800-CAT-PAWS.