MAC ANNOUNCES DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR ATHLETES IN WINTER SPORTS
77 Student-Athletes honored by Mid-American Conference for excellence in athletics and academics
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced today the Distinguished Scholar Athletes from the eight winter sports during this past 2019-20 academic season as 77 student-athletes were honored as the ‘best of the best’ from each sport’s All-MAC and Academic All-MAC Teams. The Distinguished Scholar Athlete is a sixth-year award given to student-athletes who have excelled in athletics and academics.
Leading the way were 18 MAC women’s indoor track & field students and 18 women’s swimming & diving student-athletes named as Distinguished Scholar Athletes. MAC men’s swimming & diving had 14 selections, while men’s indoor track & field and wrestling each had eight honorees. MAC women’s gymnastics and women’s basketball both had five selections, while men’s basketball added one honoree.
Following each season from the winter sports schedule, any student with a 3.20 GPA and participation in at least 50 percent of the contests was automatically named to the previously announced Academic All-MAC Team from each sport. Also, first-year students, junior college transfers and graduate transfers in their first year of residence were not eligible for the award.
New for this 2019-20 academic season, the selection for the Distinguished Scholar Athlete included all student-athletes that were recognized as All-MAC selections and Academic All-MAC selections from their respective sport, along with maintaining a 3.50 GPA and above. Previously, a voting process among the MAC Faculty Athletic Representatives determined the selection of the Distinguished Scholar Athletes. MAC membership voted for the change in recognizing the Distinguished Scholar Athletes during the Conference Spring meetings in June of 2019.
2019-20 MAC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Distinguished Scholar Athletes (8):
Christopher Nowak, Buffalo, Junior, 3.777 GPA, Business Administration (Amherst, N.Y.)
Logan Targgart, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.78 GPA, Personal Finance (Coldwater, Mich.)
*Owen Day, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.61 GPA, Simulation, Animation & Gaming (Ottawa, Ontario)
*Derek Jones, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.77 GPA, General Business-Intent (Erie, Pa.)
*Owen Richardson, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.57 GPA, Accounting (Basingstoke, England)
*^~TJ Lawson, Kent State, Senior, 3.792 GPA, Sports Administration/Business Mgmt. (Stow, Ohio)
*^~Walter Petzel, Kent State, Senior, 3.799 GPA, Construction Management (Kingston, Ohio)
*Justin Prack, Kent State, Junior, 3.743 GPA, Accounting (Springfield, Ohio)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
2019-20 MAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Distinguished Scholar Athletes (18):
*^Lucy Bryan, Akron, Senior, 3.772 GPA, Sport Management (Bristol, England)
Sara Foster, Akron, Sophomore, 3.880 GPA, Nursing (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
Abby Helminiak, Akron, Junior, 3.745 GPA, Early Childhood Education (Toledo, Ohio)
Maritza Rodriguez, Ball State, Senior, 3.708 GPA, Elementary Education (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Kelsey Walters, Ball State, Senior, 3.734 GPA, Exercise Science (Troy, Ohio)
Karlie Zumbro, Ball State, Sophomore, 3.706 GPA, Pre-Exercise Science (Zanesville, Ohio)
Kaila Butler, Bowling Green, Senior, 3.666 GPA, Physical Education (Port Coquitlam, B.C.)
Brittni Mason, Eastern Michigan, Senior, 3.57 GPA, Exercise Science (Richmond Heights, Ohio)
Alysse Wade, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.60 GPA, Nursing Intent (Mansfield, Ohio)
Grace Tennant, Kent State, Junior, 3.801 GPA, Physical Education (Caistor Centre, Ontario, Canada)
Olivia Bechtel, Miami, Senior, 3.60 GPA, Kinesiology (Bay Village, Ohio)
Nora Finegan, NIU, Junior, 3.971 GPA, Electrical Engineering (Palatine, Ill.)
Grace Harris, NIU, Senior, 3.566 GPA, Health Sciences (Dousman, Wis.)
Kaitlyn Lewis, NIU, Sophomore, 3.609 GPA, Biological Sciences (Liberty, Mo.)
Ashley Tutt, NIU, Sophomore, 3.764 GPA, History (Channahon, Ill.)
Rayna Horner, Toledo, Sophomore, 3.774 GPA, Pre-Social Work (Covington, Ohio)
Petronela Simiuc, Toledo, Senior, 3.695 GPA, Health Promotion and Education (Bacau, Romania)
*Erin Dowd, Western Michigan, Senior, 3.70 GPA, Chemical Engineering (Brighton, Mich.)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
2019-20 MAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Distinguished Scholar Athletes (14):
Sam Curran, Miami, Sophomore, 3.72 GPA, Public Health (Sylvania, Ohio)
*Spencer Klinsky, Miami, Junior, 3.83 GPA, Biochemistry/Neuroscience (Brentwood, Tenn.)
Ryan Sego, Miami, Sophomore, 3.61 GPA, Information Systems & Analytics (Batavia, Ill.)
*Nick Ward, Miami, Senior, 3.56 GPA, Engineering Management (Westerville, Ohio)
Arthur Cury, Missouri State, Sophomore, 3.63 GPA, Finance, (Curitiba, Parana, Brazil)
Michael Hampel, Missouri State, Junior, 3.52 GPA, General Studies (Owensboro, Ky.)
*Thomas Heye, Missouri State, Senior, 3.92 GPA, Cell and Molecular Biology (Little Rock, Ark.)
Pawel Krawczyk, Missouri State, Sophomore, 3.93 GPA, Computer Science (Warsaw, Poland)
Sebastian Odent, Missouri State, Sophomore, 3.54 GPA, Entrepreneurship (Nice, Alpes Maritimes)
*Samuel Senn, Missouri State, Senior, 3.93 GPA, Accounting (Springfield, Mo.)
*Tamas Hajtman, Southern Illinois, Senior, 3.734 GPA, Electrical Engineering (Bekescsaba, Hungary)
*Kai Hoffmann-Dussome, Southern Illinois, Senior, 4.0 GPA, Aviation (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
*Chris Phillips, Southern Illinois, Senior, 3.619 GPA, Marketing (La Grange Park, Ill.)
Zheng Yang Yeap, Southern Illinois, Junior, 4.0 GPA, Finance (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
2019-20 MAC Women's Swimming & Diving Distinguished Scholar Athletes (18):
*Jessica Bonezzi, Akron, Senior, 4.0 GPA, Speech Pathology (Wooster, Ohio)
Andrea Fischer, Akron, Sophomore, 3.6 GPA, Exercise Science, (Oak Grove, Minn.)
Olivia Gardner, Akron, Sophomore, 3.8 GPA, Business, (Bromsgrove, England)
Sofia Henell, Akron, Sophomore, 3.936 GPA, Biology, (Linkoping, Sweden)
*Paulina Nogaj, Akron, Junior, 4.0 GPA, Strategic and Organizational Communication (Radom, Poland)
*^Mackenzie Vargas, Akron, Senior, 3.75 GPA, Business Administration (Roseville, Calif.)
*^Morgan Waggoner, Akron, Senior, 3.85 GPA, Biology (Fremont, Ohio)
*^Talisa Lemke, Bowling Green, Senior, 4.000 GPA, Theatre (Berlin, Germany)
Daisy Platts, Bowling Green, Sophomore, 3.847 GPA, Exercise Science (Leicester, United Kingdom)
*Brittney Beetcher, Buffalo, Junior, 4.000 GPA, Management (Boulder, Colo.)
Jillian Lawton, Buffalo, Junior, 3.543 GPA, Occupational Therapy (Lakewood, N.Y.)
Antonia Naccarella, Buffalo, Sophomore, 3.629 GPA, Exercise Science (Rochester, N.Y.)
Nicole Roitenberg, Buffalo, Junior, 4.000 GPA, Health & Human Services (Beaconsfield, Quebec)
*Olivia Sapio, Buffalo, Junior, 3.873 GPA, Accounting (Orchard Park, N.Y.)
Ali Staver, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.7 GPA, Nursing (Bettendorf, Iowa)
*Sophia Tsafantakis, Eastern Michigan, Senior, 3.95 GPA, Therapeutic Recreation (Washington, Mich.)
Camila Lins de Mello, Miami, Sophomore, 3.81 GPA, Sports Leadership and Management (Belo Horizonte, Brazil)
Izzy Jones, Toledo, Junior, 3.734 GPA, Kinesiology (Ivinghoe, England)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
2019-20 MAC Wrestling Distinguished Scholar Athletes (8):
Troy Keller, Buffalo, Senior, 3.50 GPA, Environmental Studies (North Tonawanda, N.Y.)
*Drew Hildebrandt, Central Michigan, Junior, 3.64 GPA, Finance (Granger, Ind.)
Dresden Simon, Central Michigan, Junior, 3.50 GPA, Sport Management (Dansville, Mich.)
Greg Bulsak, Clarion, Junior, 3.82 GPA, Nutrition & Fitness (South Park, Pa.)
*Tim Rooney, Kent State, Graduate Senior, 3.813 GPA, Exercise Physiology (Columbus Ohio)
Jarrett Jacques, Missouri, Sophomore, 3.484 GPA, Communications (Columbia, Mo.)
Dylan Wisman, Missouri, Senior, 3.500 GPA, Graduate School (Winchester, Va.)
*Killian Cardinale, Old Dominion, Sophomore, 3.55 GPA, Speech Pathology & Audiology (Bristow, Va.)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
2019-20 MAC Gymnastics Distinguished Scholar Athletes (5):
*^Denelle Pedrick, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.78 GPA, Exercise Science (Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Morgan Tong, Central Michigan, Sophomore, 3.61 GPA, Mathematics (Markham, Ontario, Canada)
*Mia Lord, NIU, Junior, 3.97 GPA, Psychology (Fishers, Ind.)
Jada Rondeau, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.76 GPA, Communication (Savage, Minn.)
Caitlin Satler, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.89 GPA, Exercise Science (Orland Park, Ill.)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
2019-20 MAC Men’s Basketball Distinguished Scholar Athlete (1):
*Ben Vander Plas, Ohio, Sophomore, 3.99 GPA, Communication Studies (Ripon, Wis.)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
2019-20 MAC Women’s Basketball Distinguished Scholar Athletes (5):
Angela Perry, Bowling Green, Junior, 3.720 GPA, Biology, (Rochester, Ill.)
Theresa Onwuka, Buffalo, Senior, 3.793 GPA, Health and Human Services (Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria)
Kyra Bussell, Central Michigan, Junior, 3.98 GPA, Exercise Science (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
*Savannah Kluesner, Miami, Senior, 3.75 GPA, Supply Chain & Operations Management & Marketing (St. Charles, Mo.)
Courtney Woods, Northern Illinois, Senior, 3.89 GPA, Pre-physical Therapy (Brisbane, Australia)
* 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ 2017-18 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
~ 2016-17 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
