May 31, 2006
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -
Samford's J. Robert Merritt was named the 2005-06 Ohio Valley Conference's Male Athlete of the Year on Wednesday as the Bulldogs' senior basketball player received the prestigious award following a vote taken by the league's athletic directors and sports information directors.
"This is a great accomplishment and I'm honored to receive the award," said Merritt. "I never imagined that I would have been named OVC Player of the Year, much less the Male Athlete of the Year. I think that this speaks a lot about the team that we have here at Samford and also about our coaches. This award is a great honor and a dream come true."
With the award, Merritt became the second Samford athlete to earn the title in the previous three seasons. During the 2004 campaign, former Bulldog football standout Efrem Hill received the honor.
Tennessee Tech's Bonnie Bynum was selected as the 2005-06 Female Athlete of the Year. The Golden Eagles' softball pitcher rewrote the record book this spring as she helped Tennessee Tech to a 50-15 record and its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
Both Merritt and Bynum will receive their awards from OVC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher at the league's annual Honors Luncheon on June 2, in Nashville, Tenn.
Merritt, a native of Oklahoma City, Okla., became the first Samford basketball player to earn All-America recognition by capturing honorable mention accolades this season.
He was named the 2005-06 OVC Player of the Year and received First-Team All-OVC honors after leading the Bulldogs in both scoring (17.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg).
Merritt also ranked among the league's leaders in scoring and rebounding by finishing fifth and 14th in the OVC, respectively.
He set both the school and OVC single-season records for made 3-pointers (120) and finished the year ranked third in the nation in 3-point field goal shooting percentage (47.6%).
Merritt also finished the season ranked third in the nation in 3-point average (3.9 per game). He closed out his illustrious collegiate career with 60-consecutive games started and finished as the Bulldogs' seventh-leading scorer with an all-time mark of 1,584 points.
