Boston College Athletics
Bell, Schmidt, Gottstein Named Eagles of the Year
April 30, 2003 | Boston College Athletics
April 30, 2003
Basketball's Troy Bell and soccer's Casey Schmidt were named co-winners of the 2003 male Eagle of the Year Award while senior basketball player Becky Gottstein was named female Eagle of the Year at Boston College's annual All-Sports Banquet Wednesday evening in Conte Forum. The award is presented to female and male student-athletes who are outstanding citizens, leaders, scholar and athletes and is the highest honor bestowed upon a BC student-athlete.
Bell (Minneapolis, MN) capped a brilliant career by becoming BC men's basketball's all-time scoring leader with 2,632 points, which ranks 21st all-time on the NCAA scoring list. He burst onto the scene in 1999 to start 27 games and become the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. As a sophomore, he started all 32 games. He shared BIG EAST Player of the Year honors and earned All-America first-team honors from Basketball Times. He led the men's basketball team to the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles, and earned the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the BIG EAST Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
As a junior, Bell started all 32 games, earned All-BIG EAST first-team honors, and led the Eagles to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. As a senior, he was the 2002-03 BIG EAST scoring champion, averaging 27.8 points per game in league contests. He was named to the Basketball Times All-America first team and the AP, USA Basketball Writers and ESPN.com second teams. He was the 2002-03 BIG EAST Player of the Year, was a John R. Wooden Award and Oscar Robinson Trophy finalist, and became only the 10th player in BIG EAST Conference history to be named All-BIG EAST first team for three consecutive years.
Schmidt (Newbury Park, CA) had one of the most successful careers on the playing field and in the classroom of anyone in his sport. He stepped into the starting lineup as a freshman and made an immediate impact, leading the Eagles in scoring and being named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie team.
As a sophomore, he led the Eagle men's soccer team in scoring, and was an All-BIG EAST first-team selection as well as a BIG EAST Academic All-Star. As a junior, he battled back from an eye injury to rank among the league leaders in scoring. He spent the 2003 spring academic semester studying in China, then resumed his soccer career in the Premier Development League in the summer.
This past year, he was co-captain of the BC men's soccer team that finished 18-5, won the BIG EAST regular season and tournament championships, and advanced to the NCAA's Elite Eight for the first time ever, the best finish by any Boston College sports team this past season. He was an All-BIG EAST first-team selection. He finished as BC's career leader in goals with 35 and second in career points with 82. And he capped a career of achievements in the classroom by being named the 2003-03 BIG EAST Aeropostale Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is now playing professionally after being drafted by Colorado in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
Gottstein (Albany, NY) made an impact on her team the moment she put on the BC uniform as a freshman, starting 15 games and making the BIG EAST's All-Rookie team. Although injuries sidelined her several times throughout her career, she battled every time to win back her starting spot. She had 30 double-doubles in her career, seven this past season alone. She led the team in scoring nine times this year, and in rebounding 19 times. She scored in double figures in 25 of 29 games.
She finished her career as BC's second-leading rebounder with 884 rebounds, and fifth-leading scorer, with 1,490 points. She was an All-BIG EAST first-team selection, and was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association's Kodak All-District team. She was co-captain of the Boston College women's basketball team that made the program's first-ever NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance.
