Dover, Del. --- Delaware State University men's basketball standout Tahj Tate (fr., Easley, S.C.) is on the list for a national award honoring top student-athletes at Historically Black Colleges & Universities.

Tate is among five candidates for the 2012 Russell Athletics HBCU Rookie-of-the-Year Award. The winner is selected by a vote of fans. The Russell/HBUC Rookie-of-the-Year candidates also include WyKevin Bazemore of Winston-Salem State, Travis Richmond of Fort Valley State, Kenesha Smith of Mississippi Valley State and Joseph LeBeau of Jackson State.

Russell also presents awards to the top HBCU male & female athletes of the year, top band, cheerleading squad and dance team.

Tate was the 2011-12 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie-of-the-Year. He was also named to the All-MEAC Second Team and the league's all-rookie-team.

This past season, Tate led the Hornets with a 16.1 point per-game average, tops among MEAC rookies and fifth-best among all NCAA Division I freshmen.

To cast a vote for the 2011-12 Russell HBCU awards, log onto the address below.

http://hbcuawards.com/athletics/