MAC Presents Cartwright Award To Eastern Michigan
MAC PRESENTS CARTWRIGHT AWARD TO EASTERN MICHIGAN
Cartwright Award presented to Eastern Michigan University recognizing its program excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship
Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced today the presentation of the Cartwright Award to Eastern Michigan University for its program excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship during the 2016-17 school year.
“The Cartwright Award is unique in that it recognizes excellence not only on the field of play, but also in the classroom and in community,” said Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Mid-American Conference Commissioner. “The Cartwright Award speaks to the core values of our Conference and to be selected by one’s peers for this award is a tremendous honor. I applaud Eastern Michigan University’s students, coaches and entire staff for this special honor.”
The Cartwright Award is an institutional award presented annually to one university in the MAC. A committee with representation from all 12 institutions selected the Cartwright Award winner from nominations submitted based upon the criteria of excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship. The award began in 2008-09 and this is the second time Eastern Michigan has received this honor, the original during the 2013-14 academic season. Eastern Michigan competes in 21 varsity sports and support over 511 student-athletes.
“Eastern Michigan's commitment to our student athletes, and to service to the community, is reflected by this distinct recognition,” said Eastern Michigan University President Dr. James M. Smith. “Our Athletics Department has a long-standing focus on providing opportunities for our student athletes beyond the classroom and beyond the field of play. This has provided a winning formula for success in life beyond graduation, and we are very proud of this honor.”
The Cartwright Award is named in honor of Dr. Carol A. Cartwright, one of the most highly respected voices in higher education. Dr. Cartwright served as the President of Kent State University from 1991-2006 and President of Bowling Green from 2008-2011. Dr. Cartwright previously was the vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of California at Davis and dean for undergraduate programs and vice provost at the Pennsylvania State University. She has served on the NCAA Board of Directors and is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.
“This is a very proud day for Eastern Michigan Athletics and it is because of the hard work displayed by each of our students, coaches and staff,” added Eastern Michigan University Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee. “This award represents the priorities we set within the department for academics, athletics and community service. It is also one of the most important ways that our University can be recognized by our conference peers. In my first staff meeting I challenged our team to make winning this award a priority, however, now the goal slightly changes to become the first MAC school to win it in consecutive years.”
Below is a brief summary of the accomplishments by Eastern Michigan University in each of the three areas of academic, athletic and citizenship excellence:
Eastern Michigan Academic Summary (2016-17):
• The 2016-17 academic year marked the 15th straight term EMU student-athletes earned over a 3.0 GPA.
• EMU student-athletes earned the highest semester GPA in school history during the Fall 2016 semester with a 3.238. Additionally, the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes was the department’s all-time best tally at 3.266.
• This success was led by a total of 82 student-athletes who earned a 4.0 GPA during the academic year.
• 253 (69%) EMU student-athletes had a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at academic year end.
• The current Graduation Success Rate for EMU student-athletes is 81% (2009-10 cohort), which ties the highest percentage in school history (2008-09 cohort).
• The current student-athlete Federal Graduation Rate is also 19% higher than the regular EMU student body.
• For MAC honors, EMU racked up 179 Academic All-MAC awards, most in the league by 21 (Kent State - 158).
• An additional 51 student-athletes earned MAC Distinguished Scholar Student-Athletes accolades during the fall and winter seasons.
• A total of 11 EMU standouts were selected for the prestigious weekly MAC Scholar-Athlete Award.
• 27 student-athletes were awarded the MAC 2016-17 President’s Award.
• 83 student-athletes were awarded the MAC 2016-17 Commissioner’s Award.
• 218 student-athletes were awarded the MAC 2016-17 Honor Roll Award.
• Two student-athletes (Sierra Wagner –women’s swimming and diving and Rebekah Branham – women’s track and field) were named Eastern Michigan’s Student of the Year for their respective majors.
• Volleyball and Women’s Golf received NCAA APR Public Recognition Awards. This was the fifth straight year that volleyball has been honored, while it was the second consecutive year in which women’s golf was recognized. Additionally, the two programs were recognized for ranking among the top 10 percent of all Division I programs in their respective sports.
• Volleyball posted a perfect 1000 multi-year APR rate for the fifth consecutive year.
• Women’s golf posted a perfect 1000 multi-year APR rate for the second time in program history.
• Men's track, wrestling, women's golf, women's swimming & diving, women's track, and volleyball programs all posted their best multi-year rates ever.
• Six teams equaled or exceeded their best multi-year score since the APR began.
• All EMU teams had a multi-year APR rate above 940 for the fourth consecutive year, and the fifth consecutive year that all surpassed the 930 APR benchmark.
• Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs earned College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Team honors, while three men and 11 women were named CSCAA Individual Scholar Athletes. The women’s selections were the most of any MAC institution and included first teamers Alexis Mitcheltree and Delaney Duncan.
• Baseball’s Brennan Williams, Men’s Track’s Willy Fink, and Women’s Track’s Jordann McDermitt collected Capital One Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Fink and McDermitt also went on to earn Academic All-American honors, landing on the third and second team, respectively. With the honor, Fink becomes the fourth student-athlete in EMU history to garner the distinction twice in his career, while McDermitt is the first women’s track and field/cross country athlete to win the award in EMU history.
• For the third straight season, the wrestling team earned top-10 team academic honors, the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Eagles finished the year with a team grade point average of 3.341, which ranked 10th in the nation.
Eastern Michigan Athletic Summary (2016-17):
• Athletic department ranked 81st in the most recent Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I Spring Standings. The total is EMU’s best finish ever - surpassing the 2002-03 campaign when it finished 86th.
• EMU captured five MAC Championships, including men’s cross country, women’s cross country, gymnastics (regular season & championship), and men’s swimming & diving.
• Five other EMU teams finished runner up for a MAC title including men’s indoor track & field, women’s indoor track & field, women’s swimming & diving, men’s outdoor track & field, and women’s outdoor track & field.
• EMU won 29 individual MAC titles in cross country, track, swimming & diving, and gymnastics.
• Eastern Michigan football was invited to compete in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, the program’s first bowl invitation in 29 years.
• Eastern sent 10 individual student-athletes or teams to NCAA championships, as well as qualifying seven student-athletes to the NCAA All-Region.
• Five different student-athletes collected MAC Player of the Year honors.
• Soccer’s Sabrina McNeill was named the MAC’s Freshman of the Year.
• 73 EMU student-athletes earned All-MAC honors (39 - first team, 30 - second team, four - third team, three - honorable mention). This tied with Akron for the best in the MAC.
• EMU student-athletes earned 55 Player of the Week accolades in 15 of EMU’s 20 sports.
• EMU coaches were named MAC Coach of the Year on four occasions this year in the following sports: Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Diving, and Women’s Diving.
• Defensive end Pat O’Connor was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, while two other Eagles also signed as undrafted free agents and one earned a minicamp invite.
• Both cross country teams had excellent seasons, with the women qualifying to the NCAA Championships and finishing ninth in the country. The men turned in a historic performance at the MAC Championships, scoring a perfect 15 points to take home the program’s 21st conference title.
• Men’s swimming overcame a 70-point deficit to win the team’s 34th MAC Championship and the third straight. Alex Chan swept the diving events and was named MAC Outstanding Diver of the Year while Buck Smith was named MAC Diving Coach of the Year. On the women’s side, Delaney Duncan, and Alexis Mitcheltree became the first EMU women’s swimming duo to earn NCAA Championship bids.
• Head Football Coach Chris Creighton was voted as a finalist for the American Football Coaches Awards' (AFCA) first-ever Comeback Coach of the Year. The third-year head coach was one of three head coaches in FBS to be named a finalist.
• EMU football had seven student-athletes named to the Phil Steele All-MAC team in addition Coach Chris Creighton to the AFAC Allstate Good Works Team.
• Redshirt senior Jordan Peterson received recognition in baseball as the Collegiate Baseball News National Player of the Week.
• Senior pitcher Sam Delaplane became the first EMU baseball player taken in the MLB Draft since 2012.
Eastern Michigan Citizenship Summary (2016-17):
• Eastern Michigan student-athletes contributed 3,959 volunteer hours logged to the institution and broader Ypsilanti community.
• EMU Athletics continued its partnership with the Detroit chapter of buildOn and EMU Bright Futures for the second-ever “Building Bright Futures at the Factory” event. This unique event for students from first through 12th grade, who will be predominantly first-generation college students, combines service learning, exercise, a college tour, and a Division I college football experience for the students and their families.
• EMU SAAC teamed up with Kleats 4 Kids to collect gently used or new athletic shoes to donate to the local community for the second consecutive year. Kleats 4 Kids strives to help underprivileged kids acquire the necessary footwear needed to play sports. From December through February, EMU Athletics collected footwear donations at home athletics events and the members of SAAC worked together to clean-up the footwear, before making the donation of shoes to the Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL). The Detroit PAL is an organization dedicated to building character in young people through athletic, academic and leadership development programs, impacting roughly 12,000 youth annually.
• EMU student-athletes participated in the 2nd and 7 Foundation’s Tackle Illiteracy program for the third straight year. A total of 244 student-athletes, representing all our 21 varsity teams, visited 24 second-grade classrooms throughout Ypsilanti, reading to the children, handing out books and reminding students about the importance of reading. This year’s student-athlete participation total was a 5% increase over last year’s participants.
• Following a graffiti incident on campus, the EMU student government introduced plans for a Unity Mural. Student-athletes came together with the rest of campus, bringing together the entire EMU community for support of plans and awareness of human rights.
• The EMU football team student-athletes and staff went out around the local community to interact with children. The teams split up into three groups to give their time at two hostels, as well as at a football clinic. The EMU players interacted with the kids at the hostels, engaging in activities and getting to know the youths. The children at the local establishments came from troubled backgrounds, as the hostel served as a safe space where they can learn and grow in a protected environment. With the EMU players, the kids instantly lit up with the opportunity to play games with the football players.
• The EMU football team held its fourth annual EMU Victory Day, as the Eagles hosted more than 140 cognitively and physically impaired children. Student-athletes, as well as the coaching staff, took part in an exciting event of football related activities inside EMU’s Indoor Practice Facility.
• For the first time, EMU gymnastics and softball partnered with Team IMPACT for a pair of honorary signees. Through Team IMPACT, a nonprofit based in Boston whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team, both became members of the EMU teams, attending practices, games and events.
• EMU soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, tennis, and wrestling volunteered their time at the 12th annual T. Wall Foundation Victors Day event held at the University of Michigan, March 17. Victors Day is a fundraising event for the T. Wall Foundation, which teaches special needs children and children who have spent much of their time in the hospital how to play sports. The 2017 Victors Day brings together Michigan and EMU student-athletes and over 750 specials need students from Washtenaw County.
• Both the men's and women's cross country and track and field teams volunteered their mornings at the JDRF One Walk, held in Dexter, Mich. In total, the event raised $572,844.63 for the fight against Type 1 diabetes. The Eagles have been volunteering at the event for a number of years. JDRF One Walk has a single goal: creating a world without Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
• Men’s and women’s swimming & diving volunteered as meet workers for the MHSAA swimming & diving championships to help produce a championship environment for the high-school student-athletes.
• The EMU women's basketball team, along with the EMU of Department of Athletics, had a series of events to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day in conjunction with the home game against Western Michigan. Children participated in activities led by the EMU women's sports teams. They were taught the importance of being active in sports and received autographs from student-athletes. In addition, the EMU Cheer team hosted a free clinic and had the ability to perform at halftime of the game.
• EMU baseball raised $685 for the Relay for Life by growing beards to support the awareness campaign.
Cartwright Award Winners:
2016-17 Eastern Michigan
2015-16 Kent State
2014-15 Central Michigan
2013-14 Eastern Michigan
2012-13 Kent State
2011-12 Toledo
2010-11 Western Michigan
2009-10 Kent State
2008-09 Central Michigan
