Tacha Awarded Raimondi Scholarship

Lincoln -- Nebraska softball coach Rhonda Revelle, along with Dana and Melanie Raimondi, have announced that the 2003 recipient of the Richard Raimondi Memorial Scholarship is Nebraska softball player KoKo Tacha.

Tacha, a sophomore outfielder for the Huskers, played in 32 games last season as the Huskers' top pinch runner, scoring 12 runs. An excellent student-athlete, Tacha owns a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. Before arriving at Nebraska, Tacha was the valedictorian of her senior class at Manhattan High School in Manhattan, Kan.

In December of 2001, the Raimondi family created the first fully endowed scholarship for a female athlete at the University of Nebraska. The scholarship, funded with a $250,000 donation, is named in honor of Richard Raimondi, who died May 4, 2000, from injuries suffered in a 1996 automobile crash.

Richard's daughter, Melanie, was a member of the Nebraska softball pitching staff from 1994 to 1997. She was a four-year letterwinner and a second-team academic All-Big 12 honoree in 1996.

The Raimondi Scholarship will be awarded each year to a member of the Nebraska softball team. The recipient must exhibit a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average and must demonstrate effective leadership skills, a high degree of integrity and a commitment to excellence in all endeavors.

The first recipient of the award was former NU catcher Amber Burgess, a native of Littleton, Colo., and a graduate of Columbine High School.