Andrew Bogut John W. McDonough

ANDREW BOGUT
UTAH '07 men's basketball

With his long brown hair dangling near his broad shoulders and a menacing glare that would make Marilyn Manson shiver, Bogut looks more like the front man for a grunge band than the best basketball player in the country. But watch Bogut on the court and it becomes clear why he is our men's player of the year. The 7-foot Aussie finished the season with an NCAA-best 26 double doubles and ranked 15th nationally in scoring (20.4 points per game), second in rebounding (12.2) and fourth in field goal percentage (62%). Bogut not only shined individually but also carried a Utah team that had lost two head coaches and two starters from last year's squad to a 29-6 record, its best since 1998.

Bogut's style on the court is as unique as his look. There is not a position that he can't play. He passes like a one, shoots like a two, moves like a three, posts up like a four and rebounds like a five. Despite being one of the tallest players in the Mountain West, he ranked in the top 15 in assists. His skills are as wide-ranging as his background -- he was born and raised in Australia, his parents are Croatian, and he's been spoon-fed the American game for the past two years. Last week Bogut announced his intention to enter the NBA draft; he's projected as a top three pick.-- Arash Markazi

SEIMONE AUGUSTUS
LSU '06 women's basketball

Three years ago, when it came time for Augustus to choose a college, the star of Capitol High in Baton Rouge went with hometown LSU over national power Tennessee. This season she has once again reduced folks in the Volunteer State to tears. On Feb. 10, Augustus poured in 25 points to lead LSU to a 68-58 victory over Tennessee, ending the Lady Vols' 42-game regular-season conference winning streak. The 6'1" shooting guard also helped the Lady Tigers to an undefeated regular season and the first SEC regular-season championship in school history, ending Tennessee's run of seven straight titles.

Augustus was named SEC Player of the Year and was averaging 20.1 points and 4.6 rebounds entering the Final Four. She had scored in double figures in all 35 of the Lady Tigers' games, pushing her school record to 61 straight, while shooting 54.7% from the field and 87.4% from the line. -- Matthew Waxman

KERRON CLEMENT
FLORIDA '07 men's indoor track and field

Clement made headlines at last month's NCAA championships when he broke Michael Johnson's 10-year-old indoor world record in the 400 meters, blazing to a 44.57. He also anchored the Gators' 4x400 relay squad to an NCAA-record time of 3:03.51, breaking a mark set by a Baylor foursome that featured 2004 Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner. And the 400 isn't even Clement's best event: The Trinidad native is the reigning world junior and NCAA outdoor champion in the 400 hurdles, the event he will focus on when he turns pro following Florida's outdoor track season. -- A.M.

TIANNA MADISON
TENNESSEE '07 women's indoor track and field

At the NCAA championships Madison set a school record by leaping 22'3" to win the long jump and finished third in the 60-meter dash, leading the Lady Vols to their first NCAA indoor track and field title. It's the school's first women's championship in a sport other than basketball.

BRETT STERLING
COLORADO COLLEGE '06 men's ice hockey

Despite standing only 5'6", Sterling doesn't have to look up to anyone in his sport. The leftwinger, who curiously hails from Pasadena, leads the nation in goals (34) and power-play goals (18) and is second in points (63). He also has scored seven game-winners for the No. 3 Tigers. 

NATALIE DARWITZ
MINNESOTA '06 women's ice hockey

The forward set an NCAA record for points in a season (114, on 42 goals and 72 assists) and powered the Gophers to a second straight national title. Darwitz was named Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four after scoring a record nine points, including the game-winning goal in the final.

GREG JONES
WEST VIRGINIA '05 wrestling

In extending his winning streak to a school-record 51 matches, Jones capped his career by taking home his third NCAA championship, this one at 184 pounds. He went undefeated in both his junior and senior years, and this season he trailed for a total of only 80 seconds in 25 matches.

RYAN LOCHTE
FLORIDA '06 men's swimming

The 2004 olympic gold medalist set U.S. and NCAA records in both the 200-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley this season. At last month's NCAA championships Lochte broke his own record in winning the 200 IM, won the 200 back and was second in the 100 back.

KIRSTY COVENTRY
AUBURN '05 women's swimming

At the NCAA championships Coventry swam to titles in the 200-yard IM, 400 IM and 200 backstroke and was the meet's high point scorer. She finished her career with 24 All-America honors. She also won three medals at the 2004 Olympics for her native Zimbabwe.

GUILLERMO ALVAREZ
MINNESOTA '05 men's gymnastics

In the season's final individual rankings, Alvarez is No. 1 in both floor exercise and vault (in which he is Big Ten champion) and No. 2 in the all-around. He was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week four times this year. At the 2004 NCAA championships he finished fifth in the all-around.

KRISTEN MALONEY
UCLA '05 women's gymnastics

The PAC-10 Gymnast of the Year is the top-ranked all-around performer in the country. Last month Maloney won three of four apparatus titles (vault, floor and balance beam) and tied teammate Tasha Schwikert for the all-around crown at the conference championships.

Issue date: April 7, 2005