June 3, 2009

ATHENS, Ohio - In conjunction with its end-of-the-year student-athlete awards event, Ohio Athletics announced on Wednesday that swimmer Ashley Marion and basketball player Jerome Tillman have been named the 2009 Senior Student-Athletes of the Year.

A 10-time Mid-American Conference champion with titles in six individual events and four relays, Marion (London, Ontario) wrapped up her career with a decorated 2008-09 season that saw her named MAC Swimmer of the Year and MAC Outstanding Senior Swimmer. She earned first-team All-MAC recognition in each of her four seasons, and finished her career with MAC records in the 200 back (1:57.15) and 400 individual medley (4:15.37).

In addition to her individual conference records, Marion was also a member of the Bobcats' 200 (1:30.47) and 400 (3:20.04) free relay squads that also established new league standards in 2009. Marion also holds individual school records in the 200 free (1:47.61) and 200 IM (2:00.13), as well as relay records in the 800 free relay (7:13.51) and the 400 medley relay (3:42.88).

Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) finished his stellar career in 2009 as one of just five players in Ohio history to crack the program's top-10 in both points (1,635) and rebounds (860), ranking eighth in both categories. One of just 15 players in program history to earn All-MAC honors three times, including a pair of first-team nods, Tillman was a first-team NABC All-District 14 honoree and captured league Player of the Year accolades from MAC Report Online and MidAmPub.com as a senior.

Known for his explosiveness and athletic ability, Tillman appeared on ESPN SportsCenter's daily Top 10 twice during his junior season, once for a dunk in the Bobcats' road victory over ACC powerhouse Maryland and another time for a block against MAC foe Central Michigan. He amassed 26 double-doubles during his tenure, the fifth-most by an Ohio player in the last 20 years, and led the MAC with eight such efforts in 2008-09.

Tillman's signature performance came on Jan. 14, 2009, when he carried the Bobcats to their first road victory over Miami in six years with a career-high 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field. With the Green & White up by four at the break, Tillman scored 29 of his 35 points in the second period, including Ohio's first 18 of the frame, to finish with the most points by a Bobcat since 2003 and fall just three points shy of setting a new Millett Hall record for a visiting player.