Tommie alum Andrew Hilliard gets elite NCAA award

December 18, 2003


Andrew Hilliard

Former St. Thomas two-sport star and five-time Academic All-American Andrew Hilliard has been selected to receive the prestigious NCAA Top VIII Award.

Hilliard, who graduated in May 2003 with a 3.983 grade-point average in Mathematics, will receive the award Jan. 11 at the NCAA convention in Nashville. It's the fifth prestigious individual national honor he's received.

Hilliard becomes just the second NCAA Top VIII recipient from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in the 31-year history of the award, joining Augsburg wrestler Henry Gerten (1999). Only two other Minnesota collegians have received the honor -- Minnesota Gopher gymnasts John and Marie Roethlisberger.

The list of all-time NCAA Top VIII recipients reads like a a Who's Who in Athletics, including Steve Young, John Elway, Doug Flutie, Peyton Manning, David Robinson, John Nabor, Archie Griffin, Gordy Lockbaum, Tracy Caulkins, Rebecca Lobo, Lynette Woodward, Cheryl Miller, Mary Meagher and Karch Kiraly.

Hilliard, who is a St. Thomas football assistant coach, plans on attending graduate school.

Hilliard was named the 2003 Verizon College Division Academic All-American of the Year for Track and Field/CC -- the second MIAC student-athlete to become a Verizon Team Player of the Year.

Hilliard became the first conference student athlete -- and just the 13th individual out of 13,000 all-time honorees -- to receive five or more Academic All-America honors in a career. He was voted to the football AAA teams in 2001 and 2002 and was voted to the at-large and track teams in the springs of 2001, 2002 and 2003.

In February 2003, Hilliard was one of six college student-athletes who received the 2003 Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award.

In December 2002 he traveled to New York in December as one of 14 college football recipients of the National Scholar-Athlete Award. That award, presented by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, includes an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Hilliard was the second MIAC honoree in the 43-year history of the award -- joining Chris Palmer of St. John's, a 1995 recipient.

Earlier in 2003, Hilliard and football teammate Jake Barkley received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships -- for fall 2002 out of an elite group of 58 national student-athlete honorees. There were 29 men and 29 women honored from Divisions I, II and III. St. Thomas was the lone Minnesota institution to have a fall award winner. Hilliard received a $6,900 annual stipend for graduate studies.

In track, Hilliard was a six-time All-American and ran on an NCAA Division III top-five placing 4x400 relay all four years of his career. The 2003 relay placed third in a conference-record time of 3:11.12 -- just .04 out of first place. He also qualified for nationals twice in the 400 hurdles; ran on a top-five placing 4x100 relay in 2002; and ran on a top-five 4x400 relay in the 2003 indoor national meet. Hilliard also won four events at the May 9-10 MIAC Championships and finished his career with 16 conference titles in relay and individual races. Outdoors, he ran on MIAC champion 4x400 relays all four years and was a three-time 400 hurdles champion. He helped St. Thomas win all eight MIAC team championships (indoors and outdoors) in his four-year era.

In football, Hilliard started 38 of 40 career football games, missing only two with injuries, and twice was voted All-MIAC. In 38 career games he had 147 receptions for 2,547 yards (17.3 ypc) with 23 touchdowns. He finished second on UST's career receiving yards list. He helped the Tommies win 25 of 35 conference games in his era. Despite being slowed by injuries in 2002, Hilliard had 989 yards in total offense and six touchdowns. He had an 88-yard kickoff return for TD vs. No. 6 St. John's, and had a 38-yard reverse for TD vs. Gustavus.

Hilliard also was among 10 finalists for the 2002 Gagliardi Trophy, honoring the NCAA Division III Football Player of the Year.

Hilliard also was named to the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) 2002 "Good Works Team" for exceptional community service. Only three Division III players in the nation were recognized. His service work includes weightlifting coach for a Special Olympics team; volunteer for National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) as youth coach; volunteer for Beaver Lake Church Vacation Bible School, in charge of recreational activities (summer 2002); volunteer for hometown Woodbury Athletic Association at track, football camps; volunteer for Habitat for Humanity -- helped on homebuilding projects in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood; volunteer for Loaves & Fishes Foodshelf; volunteer at neighborhood cleanup day in St. Paul; volunteer at annual on-campus Faculty/Staff Family Christmas party (last four years); volunteer at Bailey Elementary School P.E. classes; and member campus Fellowship of Christian Athletes (three years).



see complete list of winners, click on this link and scroll down to NCAA News stories, hit recent news releases, see Top VIII winners story