RELEASED:  Saturday, December 7, 2007

UW-Whitewater’s Beaver Named Finalist For Melberger Award

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater senior running back has been named as a finalist for the Melberger Award, given to the top NCAA Division III football player in the nation.

The winner of the award will receive the Melberger Trophy, made out of solid anthracite coal, along with $2,500 in scholarship money that gets placed into their university's general scholarship fund. The award was named to honor Clifford K. Melberger, captain of the 1960 Bucknell University Lambert Cup football team.

This award has been given annually to Division III players since 1993. The process for selecting a winner initially begins when coaches vote on the Most Valuable Player within their conference. The 10 nominees are then submitted, along with their season statistics, to a nationwide selection committee for the final award.

A native of Palmyra, Wis. (Palmyra-Eagle H.S.), Beaver would be the first winner from UW-Whitewater. He currently holds the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference career record for rushing yards and is in second place in NCAA Division III career rushing yards.

The balloting for the Melberger Award should be completed this weekend and a winner will be announced sometime next week.