MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State University has been awarded the 2011-12 Ohio Valley Conference Institutional Academic Achievement Award, marking a league-record 12th time the athletic department has won the conference’s highest academic-related honor. MSU also won a league-best three Team Academic Achievement Awards and had more than 100 student-athletes recognized for individual awards.
The Eagles claimed the academic banner for the third year in a row and seventh time in the last eight years. The award is presented annually to the member institution with the greatest percentage of its eligible student-athletes earning a 3.25 grade point average or higher for that academic year.
“It’s always an honor to win the league’s academic achievement banner,” said Sara Larson, assistant athletic director for student-athlete services and senior woman administrator. “We continue to showcase superior academic results because our student-athletes are equally committed to achieving success in the classroom as they are on the playing field. It’s also a direct result of our coaching staffs’ commitment to seeing their student-athletes work toward earning their degrees.”
Nineteen MSU student-athletes won an OVC Medal of Honor, given annually to the student-athletes who achieve the highest grade point average in a conference-sponsored sport.
In addition, 104 Eagle student-athletes were named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. To be listed, recipients must have achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average and have been eligible and on the team throughout the competitive season in their chosen NCAA-sponsored sport.
The Team Academic Achievement Awards are presented annually in each conference-sponsored sport to the member institution's team with the greatest percentage of its eligible student-athletes who earned status on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Rifle, women’s track and field and volleyball won their sport’s respective awards this year with volleyball claiming its fifth straight accolade.
“Our academic support staff does a great job assuring our student-athletes have every resource they need to succeed, and our new academic facilities at the Eagle Center are a wonderful asset as we strive to maintain our academic success,” Larson said.
Medal of Honor Winners
Baseball – Kellen Begeman, Aaron Goe
Women’s Basketball - Allie Turner
Men’s Cross Country – Josh Seitz*
Men’s Golf – Dean Schneider
Women’s Golf – Emma Eksell, Sofia Pettersson, Karolina Tunstig
Rifle - Kathleen Bush, Demi Jacques
Soccer – Kim Borys, Devan Jordan, Paige Weber
Softball – Kelcey McMurray, Samm Sparks
Men’s Tennis – Nathan Martin
Men’s Track and Field – Josh Seitz*
Volleyball - Emma Keough; Leslie Schellhaas
Commissioner's Honor Roll
BASEBALL
Eric Bainer
Kellen Begeman
Cole Cleveland
Nick Duff
Aaron Goe
Chase Greenwell
Austin Haney
Clark Keene
Bobby Lewis
Taylor Sears
Brice Smallwood
Garrick Whittle
Drew Williams
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jordan Percell
Ty Proffitt
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Mackenzie Arledge
Linda Dixon*
Natalie Greenwell
Casie Ryans
Allie Turner
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
James Bowens*
Cameron Magro*
Chase Ratliff*
Josh Seitz*
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Kate Bomar*
Kayla Burton*
Holly Mandzak*
Lindsey Marcum*
Anya Martinez*
Bri Massie*
Natalie Norman*
Lyndsay Norris*
Laurie Stoutenburgh
Parker Winters*
MEN'S GOLF
Ian Danis
Dean Schneider
WOMEN’S GOLF
Emma Eksell
Emma Jonsson
Marisa Kamelgarn
Sofia Pettersson
Krista Power
Karolina Tunstig
RIFLE
Kathleen Bush
Nicole Heitmeyer
Demi Jacques
Kathleen Mulligan
Mary Saenger
Hannah Wagner
SOCCER
Jillian Birchmeier
Katie Blevins
Kim Borys
Caitlin Fox
Stephanie Gildehaus
Ali Hawksford
Devan Jordan
Brittany Kiracofe
Meghan Klyczek
Brittany MacLennan
Elizabeth McSparin
Alyssa Nacke
Lindsey Oettle
Sarah Phillip
Sam Toepfer
Paige Weber
SOFTBALL
Kara Arceneaux
Kayla Ashbrook
Kayla Brill
Kelcey McMurray
Amber Riddle
Samm Sparks
Elizabeth Wagner
Jami Whitcomb
MEN’S TENNIS
Hugo Almonte
Nathan Martin
Chris Shafik
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Alexis Garrett
Jessica Montemayor
Shilpa Naruka
Alix Young
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
James Bowens*
Zach Elliott
Cameron Magro*
Chase Ratliff*
Josh Seitz*
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Kate Bomar*
Kayla Burton*
Linda Dixon*
Holly Mandzak*
Lindsay Marcum*
Anya Martinez*
Bri Massie*
Natalie Norman*
Lyndsay Norris*
Parker Winters*
VOLLEYBALL
Aryn Bohannon
Colbey Cameron
Alex Fuelling
Annie Gruenschlaeger
Emma Keough
Laura McDermott
Mikayla Reese
Ellie Roberson
Lindsey Roth
Leslie Schellhaas
* denotes multiple sport honoree
