Varsity Athletics

BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin-Wallace College junior football student-athlete Will Pearson (Missouri City, Texas/ John Foster Dulles High School) has been selected as the STARR Student-Athlete for the Month of February, 2004.

The STARR of the Month program stands for Student-athletes Taking Active Responsible Roles. The program was developed in conjunction with two NCAA-related programs: CHAMPS/Life Skills and the STARR pilot of which B-W is one of eight D-III grant recipients. The October STARR Student-Athlete of the Month was football offensive center Tom Kovacevich (Strongsville), the November STARR Student-Athlete of the Month was women's soccer player Kellie Corbett (Silver Lake/ Cuyahoga Falls), the December STARR Student-Athlete of the Month was women's cross country runner Jamie Luketic (Rootstown) and the January STARR Student-Athlete of the Month was women's swimming and diving standout Kristen Showalter (Bowling Green).

The STARR of the Month Program recognizes student-athletes who are showing a great balance between athletic, academic, personal, service, leadership and other involvement. We, in CHAMPS/Life Skills, strive to focus on positive role-modeling among our student-athletes. Recipients must carry a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA, be in at least their second year of competition at B-W and make positive contributions to the Campus and surrounding communities. We know our student-athletes excel in many areas and it is time to show the Campus and surrounding community how proud we are.

Pearson is a political science major who carries a 3.0 grade point average in the classroom and hopes to attend Law School in the Fall of 2005.

Athletically, Pearson has played two years of football as a wide receiver. This year, he was a member of a Yellow Jacket squad that returned to the NCAA Division III National Playoffs for the first time since 1991. The team completed its 37th straight winning season, the second longest active seasonal winning streak in all of college football, and had a 10-2 overall record. The gridders advanced to the second round of the Division III Playoffs. Individually, Pearson recorded one catch for seven yards. In addition to football, he played two years of basketball for the Yellow Jackets, served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a nominee for the 2003 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference.

On campus, Pearson is a member of the Black Student Alliance, the Buddy System, served as an Upward Bound Advisor and is a dormitory Resident Assistant. In the Black Student Alliance, he has served as its Publicity Director, as a Minority Student Overnight Host and helped with Black History Month. In his spare time, Pearson enjoys working on artwork, listening to music, watching movies and playing pool.

Pearson is the son of Dee and Karen Pearson of Missouri City, Texas.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact Baldwin-Wallace College Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu.