STEVENS POINT - Four UW-Stevens Point Athletes have been honored by being selected as Athletes of the Year for 2008-09.

Women's hockey player Nicole Grossmann (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) was named women's team sport Athlete of the Year while Brad Vickroy (Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) took home men's team sport Athlete of the Year honors. This year's individual sport Athlete of the Year winners were swimming & diving athletes, as Abby Strobel (Neenah took home the women's award and Chase Gross (Edina, Minn.) claimed the men's honor. The awards were selected by UW-Stevens Point's head coaching staff.

Grossmann, a two-time First Team All-American and 2009 NCHA Player of the Year was a four-time First Team All-NCHA honoree. She is tied for first all-time in the school's record books for goals scored with 72. She is also the school's all-time leader in power-play goals, recording 20 over her years with the Pointers women's hockey program and sits atop the record books for most shorthanded goals in a career with 13.

Vickroy, a D3football.com Preseason Second Team All-American, was named the 2008 WIAC Player of the Year after being the anchor of the conference champion Pointers' defense. A First Team All-American and D3football.com All-West Region honoree, Vickroy was a 2009 Aztec Bowl nominee and a First Team All-WIAC selection. Vickroy and the Pointers earned first playoff appearance since 2001. He led the team with 13.5 tackles for loss, tallied 5.5 sacks, and recovered two fumbles.

Strobel was the 2009 WIAC Scholar Athlete award winner for her efforts in the classroom. A team captain, she is the school record holder in four events and was a four-time NCAA qualifier. She is a five-time All- American Honorable Mention award winner and a nine-time conference champion. She also finishes her career as the conference record holder in the 800-yard freestyle relay.

A 12-time All-American and 11-time All-American Honorable Mention, Gross holds the 3rd fastest time in NCAA history in the 100-yard butterfly and holds school records in eight events. He is arguably the fastest man in UWSP swimming history. A 22-time conference champion, he finished 2009 with six conference titles and led the Pointers to an eighth place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships.