Nov. 1, 2007

Auburn, Ala. - Diver Steven Segerlin and track sprinter Kerron Stewart have been selected to receive the highest awards an Auburn student-athlete can receive, the Cliff Hare Award and the Leah Rawls Atkins Award.

Segerlin and Stewart will receive their awards during halftime ceremonies at Saturday's football game against Tennessee Tech. Segerlin will receive the Cliff Hare Award and Stewart the Leah Rawls Atkins Award. Both awards are given annually to senior student-athletes "who, in addition to athletic and scholarship achievement, exhibit in great degree the qualities of leadership, integrity and courage."

The Cliff Hare Award is given in memory of Clifford Leroy Hare, a member of Auburn's first football team, professor of chemistry, president of the Southern Conference and longtime chairman of Auburn's Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics.

The Leah Rawls Atkins Award is presented in honor of Dr. Leah Rawls Atkins, noted Alabama historian, world champion water skier and the first woman in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. She also served as Director of the Auburn University Center for the Arts and Humanities.

Both awards are presented in the Auburn belief that "athletics make men strong, study makes men wise, and character makes men great."

Segerlin is the second men's diver to win the award joining Caesar Garcia, who won the award in 2005.

Stewart, meanwhile, is the fourth women's track and field athlete to win the prestigious honor, joining Sissy Costner (1990), Rachel Sauder (1996) and Angela Homan (2006).

"Steven and Kerron are shining examples of what we hope Auburn student-athletes become from the time they step foot on our campus," said Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs. "They have been extremely successful in every facet of their Auburn careers, excelling both in the classroom and in competition. Leading by example and living by the words of the Auburn Creed are characteristics of both Steven and Kerron. They represent the best of the best."

Segerlin ended his Auburn career as a three-time NCAA Champion, 11-time All-American, and won four Southeastern Conference titles. As a senior in 2007, Segerlin won the platform and 3-meter events at the NCAA Championships. At the SEC Championships last season, he became just the third male ever in SEC history to sweep the three diving events (1-meter, 3-meter, platform).

A native of Webster, N.Y., Segerlin helped the Auburn men's swimming and diving program capture four consecutive team NCAA and SEC Championships from 2004-07.

Out of the diving well, Segerlin excelled academically as he was a CSCAA Academic All-American, an SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient and was a member of the National Merit Honors Society, ODK/Mortar Board Honors Society and the Sigma Lambda Chi Honor Society.

A spring 2007 graduate with a degree in building science, Segerlin served as the 2006-07 Student Athlete Advisory Committee President, represented Auburn at the 2006 NCAA Leadership Conference, and was a 2006 recipient of the William H. Hunt Building Science scholarship.

Currently, Segerlin is pursuing a master's degree in building science at Auburn.

Stewart completed her two-year Auburn career as the most decorated female sprinter in Auburn track and field history as she finished with three individual NCAA titles while earning nine All-America honors. A school record holder in the outdoor 100 and 200 meters and indoor 55, 60 and 200 meters, Stewart won the 2007 Honda Award for track and field, which is presented annually by the NCAA to the top female athlete in each sport.

In her first year at Auburn in 2005-06, Stewart won four individual SEC titles and earned six All-American honors while helping lead Auburn to the NCAA Outdoor National Championship, the school's first-ever team title in track and field. For her efforts, Stewart was named SEC Outdoor, Mideast Region, South District and South Region Outdoor Track Runner of the Year.

A native of Jamaica, Stewart became just the second student-athlete in Auburn's history to win two national titles at the same NCAA Championship, as she won 2007 indoor national titles in the 60 and 200 meters. During the 2007 outdoor season, she was undefeated in individual events and won the national title in the 200 meters. For her efforts, Stewart was named the 2007 USTFCCCA Indoor National Runner of the Year, the South Region Indoor Runner of the Year and the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Runner of the Year.

This past August Stewart extended her success to the international level at the World Championships as she finished seventh in an impressive 100-meter field and won a silver medal with the Jamaican 4x100m relay team.

An adult education major, Stewart is an SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient is slated to graduate in December.

Currently, Stewart is competing professional, while training in Auburn.