Brianna Dahm to Receive McCahill Award
1/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Cross Country, Track Star Wins Prestigious Award
MILWAUKEE ? Brianna Dahm will receive the 59th annual McCahill Award at halftime of the Marquette-Connecticut men's basketball game. The postgraduate award is based on achievement in athletics, scholarship and service to the university. Established in 1946, it has been given each year to a student-athlete who has graduated and in the opinion of the athletics board, best meets these qualifications.
"It is a great honor to be named the McCahill recipient," Dahm said. "All the previous winners have been outstanding athletes and people, and to have my name recognized along with theirs, is remarkable. I am very proud to be the one selected out of the amazing, talented class of student-athletes that graduated last year."
Athletically, Dahm was one of the most decorated runners to don a Marquette uniform.
A two-time NCAA Outdoor Track and Field All-American, Dahm placed seventh in the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase and placed eighth in 2003 NCAA Championships in the same event.
Dahm was a three-time Conference USA champion in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase at the outdoor championships. In 2003, she also won the 1,500 meters at the outdoor meet.
In the indoor championships, Dahm claimed C-USA titles in 2003 in the mile, 1,500 meters and the Distance Medley Relay.
Dahm was also part of three Conference USA champion cross country teams and participated on four Marquette cross country teams that participated in the NCAA Championships. In 2001, Dahm was selected as a U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association All-American.
In all, Dahm was a three-time All-America, an all-region cross country performer, and a four-time all- conference selection in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As a freshman, Dahm became the first person to ever be awarded Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. She was also named 2002 C-USA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and 2003 C-USA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Dahm was named Conference USA All-Decade in both cross country and track and field last year.
Last July, Dahm was awarded one of 29 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships for female student-athletes who participated in spring sports. In addition to that academic award, Dahm was a five-time Conference USA Academic Medal recipient for maintaining a 3.75 GPA or higher.
"My experience at Marquette, both academically and athletically, meant growing up. It was now my decision how hard I worked in the classroom and at practice," Dahm said. "I had to make the decisions that would result in success or failure, and then learn from them. Luckily, Marquette made that transition a lot easier by supplying great support in the Eagle's Nest and amazing teammates and coaches that made those decisions easy to make. The values and skills I learned from them helped me immediately, but more importantly, will continue to help me as an adult."
The award was established by the McCahill family in memory of Captain Robert L. McCahill, a student-athlete who played football and 1942 graduate of the college of liberal arts. After college he was drafted by the Cleveland Rams then entered the Marine Corps as an officer. He served his country as a para-marine throughout the South Pacific during World War II, earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, and gave his life in 1945, in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
This year marks the 59th presentation of this prestigious award that was established with the help of Marine Colonel William P. McCahill, Robert?s brother, also a Marquette alumnus, with undergrad and Masters Degrees in Journalism, and who was also a student athlete as Captain of the MU Track Team. After Colonel McCahill?s death in 1999, Marquette University officially renamed the award to recognize the lifetime accomplishments of both Captain Robert and Colonel William McCahill.
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