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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. Kemba Walker, who almost single-handedly led the University of Connecticut mens basketball team on a magical ride to the national championship, and Shannon Gagne, who rode a magical journey herself by capturing five NCAA individual championships in track and field for the University of New Haven, have been selected as the 2011 Athletes of the Year by the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance.
Walker, now a member of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats, will receive the Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year Award. Gagne, who also graduated last spring and now lives in Virginia, is the recipient of the Hank ODonnell Female Athlete of the Year Award.
In addition, Masuk High School quarterback Casey Cochran has been named the inaugural recipient of the newly created Hal Levy High School Athlete of the Year Award, named in honor of the late Shore Line Newspapers sports editor and former alliance president and longtime member.
All three award winners will be honored at the 71st annual Gold Key Dinner on April 29 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.
Wilton native and Olympic gold medalist Kristine Lilly and Stamfords Mike Walsh, the basketball coach at Trinity Catholic and a former Stamford Babe Ruth baseball coach, will also be among the honorees at the dinner.
Walker put together one of the most remarkable postseason runs in college basketball history as the junior guard led UConn to 11 straight wins. The first five came in the Big East Tournament, where the ninth-seeded Huskies, after losing four of their last five regular-season games, all against conference opponents, became the first school to win five games in five days en route to the title.
Gagne captured three national titles in indoor track and two more in the outdoor season, making her only the third athlete in Division II history to win five national championships in one year.
Cochran recently completed one of the most successful high school football careers any quarterback from Connecticut every enjoyed, finishing as the states career leader in passing yards, completions and touchdown passes. He will continue his career at the University of Connecticut.
Lilly and Walsh will among the recipients of the Gold Key award from the Sports Writers.
The dinner begins at 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by contacting alliance President George Albano of The Hour at Truckin114@AOL.com, or Vice President and Dinner Chairman Bob Ehalt of The New Haven Register at Ehalt.Bob@sbcglobal.net. For more information on the history of the dinner, visit the alliance website at ctsportswriters.org.
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