The winner must display outstanding sportsmanship and
leadership, representing WVU well in all aspects. Winners are selected
by the WVU Athletic Council. The council voted this year to annually
award the top male and female captains. This year, there was a tie in
voting for the men’s captaincy.
Banks, a four-year letterwinner and 2007 team captain, guided
the Mountaineers to a Big East championship and a berth in the NCAA
tournament’s Elite Eight in her senior season. The Mountaineers posted
an 18-5-2 record, tying the school’s mark for most wins in a season.
In her senior campaign, the Annandale, Va., native led WVU with 38
points and 15 goals en route to being named the Big East’s Offensive
Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection. The
Hermann Trophy semifinalist and NSCAA third team All-American will
graduate with a degree in forensic science and was named an ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-American and NSCAA Scholar All-American. A member
of the WVU Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll and a Big East
Academic All-Star, Banks is involved in several community service
initiatives such as youth soccer, West Virginia ODP, soccer school of
excellence and also volunteers as a fundraiser for the Betty Puskar
Breast Care Center.
Nichols, a two-time team captain and native of Radford, Va., won
the 2008 Big East Sportsmanship Award and appeared in a school record
141 consecutive games. His 141 games played also set a new school
standard as he started 73-consecutive games at point guard during his
junior and senior seasons. He also set an NCAA record for most games
played without fouling out (141).
Nichols guided WVU to a 99-42 record
during his career and the 2005 Elite Eight, 2006 Sweet 16, 2007 NIT
championship and 2008 Sweet 16. He posted 399 assists in 3,528 career
minutes during his career. He also tallied 993 career points.
A graduate
in sociology, Nichols is a member of the WVU Athletic Director’s
Academic Honor Roll and a Big East Academic All Star. During his career,
he also volunteered with Special Olympics, participated in Read Aloud
programs at area schools and visited patients at area hospitals.
Schmitt, a Fairfax, Va., native and one of the school’s
all-time most-recognized and inspirational football players, guided WVU
to three straight New Year’s Day bowl victories, including wins over
Georgia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.
Owen Schmitt
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Schmitt finished his career with 1,003 rushing yards, scoring 13 total
touchdowns. Schmitt helped WVU remain in the nation’s Top 10 in each
of the last three
seasons, which included the school’s best three-year record at 33-5
since 2005.
The WVU Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll member
graduated in December, 2007, with a degree in athletic coaching
education. Schmitt has volunteered at local schools, speaking about the
importance of staying in school and avoiding alcohol and drugs. He has
also visited the sick at area hospitals.
The award was started to honor the retirement of Fred Schaus,
who had outstanding success as a Mountaineer basketball player, coach
and athletic director. Past winners of the Fred Schaus Captain’s
Award: Herbie Brooks, basketball (1989); Tammie DeAngelis, rifle (1990);
Aileen Convery, swimming (1991); Ann-Marie Pfiffner, rifle (1992);
Garett Smith, rifle (1993); Dean Morrison, wrestling (1994); Jean
Foster, rifle (1995); Seldon Jefferson, basketball (1996); Sandy
Shumate, volleyball (1996); Charles Emanuel, football (1997); Marcos
Scrivner, rifle (1998); Shawn Foreman, football (1999); Jessica
Nonnemacher, gymnastics (2000); Katie Barnes, soccer (2001); Kyle
Kayden, football (2002); Avon Cobourne, football (2003); Merissa
Sexsmith, cross country/track (2003); Grant Wiley, football (2004); Kate
Bulger, basketball (2004); Rasheed Marshall, football (2005); Laura
Kane, soccer (2005); J.D. Collins, basketball (2006); Susan Davis, cross
country/track (2006); Jessica Czaikowski (2007); Dan Mozes (2007).