Life > December 6, 2003

Athlete Student of the Year

When the news broke that senior All-American Jeremiah White could be out for up to eight weeks after he was elbowed in the face by Virginia’s Kirk Dinnall Sept. 13, Wake Forest’s chances of remaining among the top teams in the nation appeared dim.

White was diagnosed by doctors at a Virginia hospital with a broken zygomatic arch in his cheek, and the outlook was not good.

“I was angry and I was upset,” White said. “But then my immediate question after that was, ‘Is there anything I can do to get back sooner?’”

Showing determination that was fitting of the Old Gold and Black’s Athlete of the Year, White figured out the answer to that question and returned exactly two weeks later as a substitute in the Deacs’ 1-0 loss to top-ranked Maryland Sept. 27.

Following the surgery, White had to wear various types of headgear to protect his face from further injury.  It did not prevent him from playing with his usual aggression, though.

White made his impact felt almost immediately, scoring the game-winning goal in his second game back, a 2-0 victory over N.C. State.

Now, not only is White playing, he was named ACC Player of the Year.

“It’s a great honor because it was voted on by all the coaches in the ACC,” White said. “It’s other coaches’ opinions and that makes it even more special because they appreciate what I’ve done.

“I’ve been First team All-ACC for three years and that just shows that they recognize and appreciate what I’ve done.”

Despite his two-week absence, White placed fifth in the ACC with eight goals on the season. His average of 1.5 points (goals and assists) per game was second-best in the conference.

“We came in with a really strong recruiting class,” White said. “We wanted to play in the ACC, wanted to change the program and help bring Wake some national recognition.

“We committed to it and we’ve done a pretty good job.”

—Jason Mazda