Reading resident earns Outstanding Senior Athlete Award at Lock Haven University

Nick Hilton recognized for athletics, academic achievement and leadership

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Nick Hilton accepts congraulations from LHU President Barbara Dixon, Atheltics Director Sharon Taylor, and Coach Aaron Russell

LOCK HAVEN, PA (05/05/2011)(readMedia)-- Lock Haven University student athletes in all men's sports got together on Monday evening, May 1, for a sports picnic celebrating the achievements of the past year.

A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of awards.

Nick Hilton, a resident of Reading, Pa., received the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award. This award recognizes athletics performance, academic achievement and outstanding leadership. Hilton has earned honors in cross country and indoor and outdoor track, boasts a 3.031 GPA and is a campus leader.

In announcing the award, Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Aaron M. Russell noted that, to the best of his knowledge, Nick Hilton is the university's only athlete to be named All-American in all three seasons. Hilton has earned All-American honors in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. Among his numerous athletics honors, he is a 6-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champion and holds a PSAC championship record; he was named All Region 4 times; he is a 12-time NCAA Championships qualifier and a 7-time NCAA Championships participant. Academically, he boasts a 3.031 GPA. He is a campus leader, serving as a representative on the inaugural Athlete Advisory Board and a participant in an NCAA Leadership Conference. He is engaged in campus activities and spent his summer working with disadvantaged children. According to Coach Russell, "Nick epitomizes what a student athlete does in college. He has matured, developed athletically, academically, and as a person." Russell added that Hilton is "a leader, a role model, and one of the hardest workers I've ever coached."

LHU provides NCAA athletics competition for men in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, indoor and outdoor track, and wrestling.

Lock Haven University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 405,000 system alumni live and work in Pennsylvania