May 6, 2002
By Student Assistant Sara Swenson

Riley Named Kansas City Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year

The Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation has announced that senior freestyler Bridget Riley (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) will be honored with the Kansas City Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year award at the 30th Annual Sports Commission Awards Banquet.

This is only the second year for the Kansas City Collegiate Athlete of the Year award. Receiving this year's Male Athlete of the Year award will be Ladell Betts, University of Iowa football. Last year's award winners were male athlete Kareem Rush, University of Missouri-Columbia basketball, and female athlete Muna Lee, Louisiana State track & field.

Riley, the daughter of William and Donna Riley, was chosen for her decorated career in swimming. The four-year all-America has been a member of Truman's national championship women's swimming team the past two years. This year, she was a member of the national championship and NCAA record-setting 800-yard freestyle relay team. Individually, she placed second in the 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle races, as well as sixth in the 200-yard freestyle.

At the 2001 NCAA Division II Championships, Riley placed third in the 1,650-yard freestyle, fourth in the 1,000-yard freestyle and sixth in the 500-yard freestyle. In 2000, she was the national champion in the 500-yard freestyle and was a member of the national title-winning 800-yard freestyle relay team. She also placed third in the 1,650-yard freestyle, 13th in the 200-yard freestyle and 16th in the 200-yard backstroke. In 1999, Riley was a member of the second-place 800-yard freestyle relay team, and she placed third in the 500-yard freestyle, fifth in the 1,650-yard freestyle and 16th in the 200-yard backstroke.

Academically, Riley's current cumulative GPA is 3.8. The biology major will be a College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-America for the fourth year in a row. She will qualify for a at-large academic all-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association status for the fourth straight year. She also will qualify to be a three-time member of the MIAA Commissioner's Academic at large honor roll, an honor for which freshman are not eligible.

In high school, Riley placed third in the 500-yard freestyle and fourth in the 200-yard freestyle at the state championships. She was named Most Inspirational and team captain three years in swimming.

Approximately 1,000 people will be in attendance at the banquet, which is scheduled for June 12, 2002, at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Muehlebach Tower. Also being honored are Cael Sanderson, Iowa State wrestling; Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs football; coach Sherri Coale, University of Oklahoma women's basketball; and the Kansas and Missouri male and female high school athletes of the year. Buck O'Neil, George Toma and the Kansas City Knights will receive special recognition awards. Al Davis, John Hager and Bob Willis will be inducted into the 2002 Earl Smith Greater Kansas City Amateur Sports Hall of Champions.

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