HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University Department of Athletics held its annual awards banquet on Monday night in the Student Center Ballroom, taking a night to celebrate the achievements of the 2010-11 academic year.

Junior guard Jericka Jenkins, from the women's basketball team, and junior guard Darrion Pellum, from the men's basketball team, were named the Hampton University Student-Athletes of the Year after leading their respective teams to the MEAC Tournament championship.

Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) was named First Team All-MEAC and Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention after leading the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) and finishing the season second in the nation in assists per game (7.2) and assist-turnover ratio (3.0) in leading the Lady Pirates to their second straight MEAC Tournament championship and a 25-7 record.

Pellum (Hampton, Va.) was named First Team All-MEAC and MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in leading the Pirates in scoring at 17.5 points per game, the second-best average in the MEAC. Pellum was named VaSID Second Team All-State, as well as BASN HBCU Second Team All-American.

Junior Aaryn Harrison, from the volleyball team, and senior Darius Johnson, from the football team, were each named Scholar Athletes of the Year for their prowess in the classroom. Harrison (Cary, N.C.) is majoring in chemistry, while Johnson (Sussex, Va.) is majoring in electrical engineering.

Harrison currently holds a 3.87 GPA, while Johnson boasts a 4.0.

On the night, all of Hampton's head coaches praised their student-athletes for their achievements and handed out their own individual awards for the season.

In all, four champions were celebrated at the banquet: the Lady Pirates cross country team, who won the MEAC championship; the MEAC champion Lady Pirates indoor track & field team, claiming their eighth such crown in nine years; the Lady Pirates basketball team, who swept the MEAC regular-season and tournament titles; and the Pirates basketball team, who clinched their first MEAC Tournament crown since 2006.

The banquet featured guest speaker Thomas Hasty III, a former Hampton University football player who graduated in 1977, and is now Executive Vice President and Chief Regulatory and Risk Management Officer for Towne Bank in Suffolk, Va.

For more information on Hampton University athletics, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.