Dec. 19, 2008

Read the full release from NCAA.org

INDIANAPOLIS - Eight standout student-athletes will be honored next month with the 2009 NCAA Today's Top VIII.

The Today's Top VIII award recognizes current student-athletes who have finished their collegiate careers for their athletics success, academic accomplishments, community service and leadership. Recipients will be honored at the NCAA Honors and Delegates Celebration January 15 at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.

The 2009 Today's Top VIII are Yael Averbuch, North Carolina, soccer; Kirby Blackley, Findlay, outdoor and indoor track and field; Dylan Carney, Stanford, gymnastics; Gregory Micheli, Mount Union, football; Kristi Miller, Georgia Tech, tennis; Louie Sakoda, Utah, football; Katy Tafler, Grand Valley State, soccer; and Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech, softball.

The Top VIII honorees are selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, which is composed of eight athletics administrators at member institutions and national distinguished citizens who are former student-athletes.

Carney is Stanford's third overall NCAA Today's Top VIII award winner. 2008 Olympic gold-medalists Rachel Buehler (women's soccer) and Ben Wildman-Tobriner (men's swimming) were among the eight student-athletes honored with the award last year.

The following is the summary of Carney's achievements:

Carney, a five-time all-American, led the Cardinal to a national-runner up finish (2008) and pair of third-place finishes (2006, 2007) at the NCAA national championships during his career. The 2006 NCAA national co-champion and 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-champion on the horizontal bar, Carney also excelled on the international stage as a two-time silver medalist at the Winter Cup Challenge.

A 2008 NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship recipient and 2007 Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Carney earned bachelor's and master's degrees in biological sciences at Stanford. He was a three-time first team academic all-American selection and a four-time MPSF all-academic pick.

Carney was an EMT basic volunteer with Stanford's EMS and served as a patient intake volunteer at the Arbor Free Clinic. He was a member of the Pacific-10 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was involved with Youth Olympics and Special Olympics.