The Scholar Athlete of the Week Award is presented to a MAC male and/or female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during that week's competition. An institution can nominate up to one male and one female student-athlete per week in any of that current season's sports. The winners are selected by a representative of the MAC's Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs).
MALE WINNER
Institution: NIU
Name: Mikael Vollbach
Sport: Tennis
Position:
Year: Senior
GPA: 4.0
Major: Business Administration
Week’s Achievements (detailed description of week’s events):
Mikael Vollbach was 3-0 Saturday as NIU defeated Southern 7-0 and Omaha 4-1 at the Nelson Tennis Center. Vollbach locked up the dual match victory against Southern with a 6-0, 6-2 win at number one singles. He won his doubles match with Cheng En Tsai 6-2 against Omaha. In singles, Vollbach won 6-4, 7-6(5) over Omaha’s Ryoma Mishiro. With the two wins Saturday, NIU has won eight straight dual matches.
FEMALE WINNER
Institution: Ohio
Name: Casadie DiBetta
Sport: Swimming
Position: Breaststroke
Year: Sophomore
GPA: 3.979
Major: Early Childhood Elementary Education
Week’s Achievements (detailed description of week’s events):
Sophomore Casadie DiBetter is coming off a stellar performance this weekend at the 2024 MAC Swim and Dive Championships. DiBetta was crowned the MAC Champion in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard breaststroke. She was also named First Team All-MAC.
The weekend started with DiBetta on Wednesday in the 200-yard medley relay, where the Bobcats placed third with a school record time of 1:38.97. Then on Thursday night, she swam in the 400-yard medley relay that placed third and once again set a school record in the event with a time of 3:37.02.
On Friday in the 100-yard breaststroke championship race, sophomore Casadie DiBetta (St. Clairsville, Ohio) placed first with a time of 1:00.32, helping her secure a spot in the NCAA B Cut. DiBetta's win marked the first time since the 1996-97 season that Ohio won back-to-back championships in the 100-yard backstroke event after senior Ami Hornyak (Debrecen, Hungary) won in 2023.
On Saturday Coming off her championship in the 100-yard breaststroke Friday night, DiBetta picked up where she left off, winning the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing with a time of 2:11.59. DiBetta is the first Bobcat to win a MAC title in the 200-yard breaststroke since 2000.
