Hull Honored with Marlene Mawson Award

Jan. 27, 2013

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior outfielder Maggie Hull was recognized not only for her record-breaking work on the field for the Kansas softball team, but also her leadership in the classroom and the community as she was named the 2013 recipient of the Marlene Mawson Exemplary Student-Athlete Award, Saturday evening.

Hull was met with a warm welcome when she was honored on the floor of Allen Fieldhouse during the women’s basketball game against Oklahoma State. Presented to a senior female student-athlete, the award is presented by Kansas Athletics to one student-athlete per year that played an integral role on her respective team and demonstrates strong character and leadership qualities, while also being a fierce competitor in the classroom and field of play.

Nicknamed the “Mother of Kansas Athletics”, Dr. Marlene Mawson was appointed to a full-time physical education faculty position with the added responsibility of initiating an intercollegiate women’s sports program in 1968. In addition to directing the program, Dr. Mawson coached women’s basketball, volleyball, softball and field hockey during her first three years at KU. For 22 years, Dr. Mawson was a professor and administrator at the University of Kansas.

Mawson served as the Jayhawks’ first softball coach during the 1969-70 seasons, kicking off a sport that has grown exponentially in its 44 years of existence at Kansas. Softball officially became an NCAA Division I sport at Kansas in 1982.

Hull exemplifies everything the award stands for. In 2012, Hull led the Big 12 Conference in the regular season with a .409 batting average, breaking a KU single-season record that stood for more than 30 years. She led her team with 67 hits and scored 46 runs, which tied a Kansas record for the most runs scored in a season. At the conclusion of her historic 2012 season, Hull earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, KU’s first player to earn first team all-conference status since 2006. A career .338 hitter, Hull was named an NFCA All-Region First Team member, just one step below All-America status.

All the while, Hull kept a 4.0 GPA as a double major in journalism and Spanish for the Spring 2012 semester. A two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team award winner, Hull became the 11th Jayhawk in program history to be named an Academic All-American. Capital One and CoSIDA presented her Third Team honors last May.

A Lawrence native, Hull finds ways to give back to her hometwon whenever she can. She is actively involved with community outreach; she volunteers with Lawrence Community Shelter, Special Olympics and Young Life as well as spending time as a translator for Spanish-speaking student athletes.

UP NEXT
Hull and the Jayhawks will open the 2013 season against North Carolina State in the first game of the Florida International Invitational, Feb. 8-10.

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