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Bizzarri and Ruggeri on Sunday were named top UI ahletes by The News-Gazette. Check out what they had to say here

NCAA champions Angela Bizzarri and Paul Ruggeri on Wednesday were named Dike Eddleman Award winners by Illinois.

It is the first time since 2003 that the Eddleman Award - given to the top athletes at Illinois each year - went to NCAA champions.

Ruggeri won NCAA titles in parallel bars and high bar. Bizzarri won the 5,000 meters at last week's NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Bizzarri, also an All-American in cross-country, is a repeat Eddleman winner.
"It's an honor to win this award again," Bizzarri said. "There are so many great athletes at Illinois, both past and present. When you look at the list of past winners, there are a lot of big names and those who have had a lot of success at the professional level. It's cool to be mentioned in the same company. Your goal as an athlete is always to continue to improve, no matter what you have already accomplished. After my season last year, I didn't know what was going to happen this year, so I just kept working as hard as I could and kept the same mindset. I'm happy everything worked out and I stayed healthy."

Said Ruggeri:

"It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award and be recognized by the University that I love," Ruggeri said. "My coach (Justin Spring) won this award twice and went on to win a bronze medal at the Olympics, which is exciting because that is one of the goals I hope to achieve. To be in the same company as him and other Illini greats, shows how Illinois can prepare athletes for the world stage."

Illinois also named its Male and Female Newcomers of the Year, respectively, to Andrew Riley of track and Michelle Bartsch of volleyball.

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