Mid-American Conference

MAC PRESENTS CARTWRIGHT AWARD TO MIAMI UNIVERSITY
Cartwright Award presented to Miami 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 Miami University for its program excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship during the 2017-18 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 Miami 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 first time Miami University has received this honor. Miami University competes in 16 varsity sports and support 546 student-athletes.
 
“Miami University builds leaders by empowering students to excel,” said Miami University President Dr. Gregory Crawford. “We are proud of our student-athletes and how they have lived out our core values in the classroom, on the athletic field or court, and in the community.”
 
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.
 
“Graduating Champions is the mission that drives the Miami Athletic Department every day and in every decision we make. It is an honor to receive this award from the MAC and I thank all of our student-athletes, coaches, ICA staff and University staff that made it possible,” added Miami University Director of Athletics David Sayler.  “This award embodies our mission as it celebrates academics and being champions in life - both on the playing surface and in the community. Miami University consistently delivers on providing a world class education that produces servant leaders and we are just proud to complement that with competitive success here in ICA with the results being recognized by our conference peers in this way. I am humbled to receive this award that was earned on the shoulders of so many with ‘Love and Honor’, but what is truly exciting for Miami alums and fans everywhere is that we are not done, and we will not tire in the pursuit of our mission to Graduate Champions in all of our sports.”  
 
Below is a brief summary of the accomplishments by Miami University in each of the three areas of academic, athletic and citizenship excellence:

Miami University Academic Summary (2017-18):
• 98% of Miami student-athletes were employed full-time or accepted into graduate school within six months of graduation.
• The Spring 2018 semester marked the 23rd consecutive semester, almost 12 years, with an average GPA over 3.0.
• 70.4% of Miami student-athletes maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• 76 Miami student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.
• 80 Miami student-athletes received President’s List honors, which recognizes the top 3% in their academic division).
• 205 Miami student-athletes received Dean’s List Honors with a 3.60 GPA or higher.
• During the Fall 2017 semester, Miami student-athletes had the highest GPA in school history with a 3.33 GPA.
• 15 of the 17 Miami sports earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• 13 Miami teams earned a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000 for the 2016-17 academic year, with 14 teams exceeding the national multi-year average for their sport, while 12 teams scored higher than 990.
• Perfect APR scores were completed by the following programs:  Baseball, Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Golf, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s Track, Women’s Basketball, Women’s Cross Country, Field Hockey, Softball, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Track and Volleyball.
• Katie Tomasic was named Academic All-American in volleyball.
• Miami Student-Athletes were recognized by the Conference office with the following:  136 Academic All-MAC; 38 MAC Presidential Award and 65 Commissioner’s Award recipients.
• Miami men’s and women’s swimming & diving received the Team Academic Award from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) posting team GPS’s of 3.04 and 3.51 respectfully.
• Miami volleyball was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with a Team Academic Award for their 3.50 cumulative GPA mark.
• Miami field hockey was tabbed by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) with the National Academic Team Award with a 3.26 GPA.
• Both the Miami Men’s Cross Country (3.23) and Women’s Cross Country (3.48) teams were recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as Division I All-Academic squads during the 2017 campaign.
 
Miami University Athletic Summary (2017-18):
• The men’s and women’s athletic programs had their best combined finish in the Reese and Jacoby Trophy rankings since 2005, with Miami women finishing second and Miami men finishing third.
• Miami athletics featured four MAC team championship titles, eight individual MAC champions, along with impressive individual accolades of All-American recognition, seven professional athletic opportunities, six MAC Players of the Year, two MAC Coaches of the Year and three MAC Freshmen of the Year.
• Miami field hockey went undefeated during the regular season for the first time in MAC history. Led by junior Paula Portugal who was named All-American, the team won the MAC Championship and also defeated Stanford in the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament in Palo Alto, advancing to the Sweet 16 against Duke, for the first time in program history.  Leonor Berlie was named MAC Field Hockey Freshman of the Year.
• Miami women’s cross country finished third in the MAC Championships, an improvement from seventh place the previous year.
• Miami men’s cross country placed second in the MAC Championships.
• Miami volleyball won the MAC regular season and MAC Tournament Championship. Led by MAC Player of the Year, Olivia Rusek, the RedHawks went to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
• Miami women’s tennis finished second in the MAC Women’s Tennis Championship. Senior Nellie Ponomoreva was named MAC Player of the Year and the squad was supported by six freshmen.
• Miami senior Pei Lin in swimming & diving graduated as the most decorated diver in MAC history as a seven-time All-American in the 3-meter and 1-meter events.
• Miami senior Hutch Blackstone was the Men’s Swimming & Diving MAC Champion in the 200 Breaststroke.
• Miami junior Ella Moynihan was the Women’s Swimming & Diving MAC Champion and MAC record holder in the 500 Free and MAC Champion in the 200 Free.
• Miami women’s basketball claimed the best turnaround in the nation, winning 10 more games than the previous year with a 21-11 record to a fourth-place finish in the regular season standings and competed in the postseason for the first time since 2008.
• Miami men’s basketball program secured 16 wins and a postseason berth, the best finish since 2010. Junior guard Darrian Ringo set a Miami single season assist record in his first year with the RedHawks and was named 2017-18 All-MAC Third Team and was named to the 2017-18 MAC All-Defensive Team.  Guard Nike Sibande and forward Dalonte Brown were named to the 2017-18 MAC All-Freshman Team. 
• Miami men’s track & field witnessed Chris Torpy as the MAC champion in the 1500m event and advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championship where he finished 23rd. Brother Sean Torpy was the MAC champion in the 3000m event.
• Miami women’s track & field had Maria Scavuzzo win the 10,000m event at the MAC championships with a MAC record time and finished fifth the following day in the 5,000m event to earn MAC Most Outstanding Performer. Danielle Collier competed at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships where her top javelin toss of 151-1 placed 15th in the field.
• Miami baseball finished second in the regular season, with an improvement from 11th the previous year, as the program’s 35 wins marked the most since the 2011 season.  Miami pitcher Zach Spears (Pittsburgh) was drafted in the 8th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, while pitcher Nick Ernst (New York Yankees) was selected in the 15th round and catcher Hayden Senger (New York Mets) was picked in the 24th round.
• Miami softball junior Johniann Wahl became the program’s all-time leader in home runs.
• Miami men’s golfer senior Patrick Flavin became the only golfer in MAC history to earn All-MAC First Team honors and compete in the NCAA Tournament all four years.
 
Miami University Citizenship Summary (2017-18):
• Miami athletics participated in community projects accumulating over 4,800 hours of service locally, impacting over 54 schools, non-profit organizations, hospitals, businesses, children’s charities, local families, assisted living facilities, etc.
• Miami football served over 1,200 hours and softball averaged 28 hours per athlete.
• Miami women’s basketball won the Miami Foundation Student Philanthropist of the Year Award for their efforts in raising $40,000 for LunaCares, a local charity that supports women’s cancer.
• Miami athletics teamed up with the Inter Fraternity Council and Panhellenic Council to sponsor Jackson Katz, a world-renown speaker on sexual violence prevention last fall. With over 600 students in attendance for this lecture, the event won Miami’s Best Collaborative Event, as voted on by the general student body.
• For the fifth consecutive year, 100% of Miami student-athletes donated to the Miami Red & White Club, Miami’s annual athletic scholarship fund, supporting their teammates and future RedHawks and learning about the importance of giving back.
• Miami student-athletes won two Presidential Distinguished Service Awards of only 18 total awarded this past year. Bre Safer (skating) dedicated three years to a Miami service, Opening Minds through Art, and helping Alzheimer’s patients.  Morgan Rice (track & field) dedicated 15 hours a week for three years to the Oxford Fire Department, eventually becoming certified as an EMT.
• Miami football welcomed back Brandon Brooks, a former Miami football player and starting offensive guard and current member of the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Championship team. Brooks, who was named to the Pro Bowl this past January, delivered the Commencement Speech in May, talking about his own anxiety issues and the importance of mental health and wellness initiatives.
• Several Miami coaches received international coaching honors.  Ricky Rosas, women’s tennis, and K.R. Li, diving, were selected to coach the Mexican and US national teams, respectively, in Fed Cup and FINA World Cup competition.  Also, ICA’s Human Performance and Wellness division hosted two professionals from China in the first year of a collaborative exchange program.
• Miami senior men’s golfer Patrick Flavin won the Earl Yestingsmeier Sportsman of the Year Award, as Miami has won this award in three of the past five years.
• Last year, incoming freshman in football, men’s and women’s basketball attended “Summer Bridge” as six-week academic opportunity to prepare for the transition from high school to college.
• Miami athletics participated in MADE@Miami, a two-day collaboration of many student service organizations, to help promote qualities valued by the Miami community – Mentoring, Achievement, Diversity and Excellence.