June 5, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue student-athletes Serene Ross of the women's track and field team and Lee Williamson of the men's golf team have been named the May Athletes of the Month. The award is sponsored by WLFI - TV 18, Twin City Dodge & Chrysler and the Gimlet Leadership Honorary.
Ross is a senior from Edinburg, Pa., and is a four-time All-American for the Boilermakers. Ross' most impressive accomplishment of the month was her NCAA Championship win and American record in the javelin throw with a toss of 195 feet, 8 inches. Entering the NCAA Championships, Ross was ranked No. 1 in the field of 20 and with her winning throw, bettered her personal best by almost eight feet.
Ross also won the javelin throw at the 2002 Big Ten Outdoor Championships for the first time in her career with an NCAA automatic throw of 57.30m/188-8.00. With that throw, she shattered her own Purdue record and broke both the Big Ten Meet record and the Big Ten record. At the Big Ten Championships, she also finished third in the hammer throw.
Williamson is a senior from Crawfordsville, Ind., and was named first-team All-American for the Boilermakers. Williamson also was named the Big Ten Golfer of the Year and won the Les Bolstad Award for the lowest stroke average in the Big Ten. At the 2002 Big Ten Championships, he finished tied for 27th individually, while leading the Purdue team to a third-place finish.
At the 2002 NCAA Central Regional in Little Rock, Ark., Williamson was the individual winner and led the Boilermakers to a first-place tie. At the 2002 NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio, he finished tied for 27th again and helped the team to a seventh-place team finish.
Additionally, Williamson was a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award, golf's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, and has been selected to represent the United States in the annual Palmer Cup in Ireland this July.
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