INDIANAPOLIS - Fourteen student-athletes, representing seven Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) institutions, have been named as 2017-18 GLVC Winter and Spring Scholar-Athletes of the Year, it was announced by the Conference office on Friday. Recipients were honored for their efforts both in the classroom and competition in the sports of baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's lacrosse, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track & field, and wrestling.
The University of Indianapolis paced all league schools for the third year in a row with its five honorees, including
Graham McAree (men's golf), repeat honoree
Katharina Keilich (women's golf),
Nils Hoffacker (men's tennis), repeat honoree
Austin Hogan (men's track and field), and
Parker Kump (men's lacrosse). Truman State University again followed with three recipients, including
Zach Fischer (men's basketball), repeat honoree
Christa Reisinger (softball) and
Jamie Fitzpatrick (women's swimming and diving). Drury University was the only other school with multiple honorees, as
Larissa Karl (women's tennis) and
Andrea Bazzoli (men's swimming and diving) were recognized. The remaining four recipients all came from a different school: University of Southern Indiana's
Drake McNamara (baseball), repeat honoree in Lewis University's
Jessica Kelliher (women's basketball), Bellarmine University's
Meghan Roby (women's track and field), and McKendree University's
Ryan Strope (wrestling).
The league selects one student-athlete in each Conference sport to be designated the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award is based upon athletic accomplishments, both team and individual, and academic performance in the season upon which the award is based. Each GLVC member has the opportunity to nominate one individual from its team for the award. Nominees must have a cumulative grade point average that meets Academic All-America standards (3.30), and freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible for the award. The voting is completed by each member institution's Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR).
Baseball: McNamara, the GLVC Player of the Week on May 7 and the league's 2018 Player of the Year, becomes just the third Southern Indiana standout to be honored as the sport's scholar-athlete, but he is the first in over a decade. Matt Keener was the school's inaugural honoree in 2005, while Darin Mastroianni was the most recent in 2007. Athletically, the first baseman set a number of records this season while earning many postseason accolades after starting all 59 games, helping the Screaming Eagles to a 36-23 overall record and a 15-9 mark in GLVC play. He batted .381 with 60 runs scored, 25 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, 79 runs batted in, eight stolen bases, and a .743 slugging percentage. McNamara penned his name atop the USI annals for four different categories, including career (33) and single-season home runs as well as single-season RBI (79) and single-game homers (three). Based on those numbers and more, postseason accolades included All-GLVC East First Team, NCAA Division II First Team All-Midwest Region by American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and D-II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA), along with NCBWA and ABCA Midwest Region Player of the Year, and All-America by ABCA, NCBWA, and D2CCA. Academically, the Mt. Vernon, Ind., native earned his undergraduate degree with a 3.30 GPA and currently holds a 3.90 in the Sport Management graduate program.
Men's Basketball: Fischer is the second Truman State hooper in a row to be named scholar-athlete, following Cory Myers' selection a year ago. He earned his way to the accolade, in part, after a near-perfect 3.90 undergraduate GPA and a 3.70 mark as a graduate student, studying accounting. Those impressive numbers gleaned him Academic All-GLVC recognition as well as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District and Academic All-America. The other half of his accomplishments leading to this major honor came on the hardwood where the forward started all 31 games and led the league in field-goal percentage (.624), was third in rebounds per game (9.7), tied for seventh in points per game (17.0), and was 21st in free throw percentage (.704). He also had the seventh-best total in NCAA Division II for double-doubles with 17, ranked 11th in field-goal percentage, and clocked in at 22nd for total rebounds (301). His shooting percentage broke a 30-year school record and also tallied the program's best career mark at .608, which had previously held up at .567 for 29 years. Those stats helped the St. Louis, Mo., native win First Team All-GLVC and Second Team D2CCA All-Midwest Region honors, while he also was three times named GLVC Player of the Week throughout the season. Not only did Fischer succeed personally, his performances led to team success, too. Truman went 20-11 overall and was 13-5 in Conference action for its fifth-straight 20-win season and tying the program's most league wins since 2013-14. The sixth consecutive appearance in the league's postseason tournament was the most in school history and its No. 2 seed was the highest ever for the program. The Bulldogs repeat appearance in the NCAA Tournament was also a first, while the squad got their first-ever win over both Lewis and Indianapolis this year, as well.
Women's Basketball: Repeat GLVC Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete, Kelliher finishes her junior year as the fourth Lewis player in the sport to be selected and second to earn the award twice in a row, as Mary Moskal did so in 2006 and 2007. Along with her top league honor, the forward also was named Player of the Week a league-record seven times this season to go with four United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week picks, additionally earning postseason awards in the form of First Team All-GLVC, as well as Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), D2CCA and Division II Bulletin All-America. Statistically, she proved worthy of those accolades after pacing the league and division in scoring (24.7ppg) and field goals made (313), while first in the GLVC and second in NCAA for field-goal percentage (.669). Her 9.0 rebounds were the second-most in the loop, and she was third with 44 blocked shots, while her 231 free throw attempts ranked fifth in D-II. Under the Waukesha, Wis., product's leadership, the Flyers went 24-8 overall and 15-3 in the GLVC, including the team advancing to the GLVC championship tournament semifinals and NCAA Tournament for the sixth-straight year. The organizational communications major bolstered her 3.82 cumulative GPA with a near-perfect 3.90 mark this spring semester, which helped her earn Academic All-GLVC and CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America along with the Brother David Delahanty Award for academic excellence at Lewis.
Men's Golf: McAree's selection makes this the eighth time an Indianapolis golfer was named scholar-athlete, but he is just the seventh standout honored since Brett Hulse was a two-time pick in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Honorable Mention All-American and GLVC Player of the Year went out with a bang during his senior year, winning individual medalist honors at the GLVC Championship for the second time in three years, which helped UIndy win the league crown and NCAA Midwest Region title. He was an All-GLVC honoree and an All-Midwest Region team member, and though the Greyhounds did not quite match their female counterpart's national championship performance, the men's squad did advance to the match-play round at the NCAA Championship event for the first time in program history. At that meet, the Fishers, Ind., native finished ninth in the stroke-play portion. Before the postseason, he racked up six top-10 finishes and nine top-20s in 16 events on the season. Academically, McAree maintained a 3.70 GPA during his time studying sport management and business administration, winning Academic All-GLVC and CoSIDA Academic All-District laurels.
Women's Golf: Keilich collects her second-straight scholar-athlete nod after winning the NCAA Division II individual national championship with a one-under par and placing third at the GLVC event. She led UIndy to its record seventh-straight league and NCAA East Region title before the Greyhounds won their second NCAA Championship title in four years. The Wetzlar, Germany, product had a 73.8 strokes-per-round average, was twice named GLVC Player of the Week and was dubbed All-GLVC, All-East Region, and All-America, as she finished in the top three in seven events, finishing the season ranked fifth on Golfstat.com. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that she was able to maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA this semester, improving her overall mark to 3.99 that led to Academic All-GLVC, as well as CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America.
Men's Lacrosse: Kump becomes the first scholar-athlete for the sport in its inaugural year of league sponsorship. The attacker scored 36 goals with four man-up tallies, added eight assists, and grabbed 21 ground balls. His mark for shots and shots per game ranked first in the GLVC, while ranking second for goals per game, fifth for goals scored, and sixth for points and points per game. The three-time GLVC Player of the Week started all 14 games this season, helping Indianapolis to a 10-5 overall record and a 5-1 Conference clip, as well as, winning the inaugural GLVC Championship title. Academically, the Surrey, British Columbia, product has accumulated a 3.677 GPA through three seasons, studying marketing, and was an Academic All-GLVC selection after his 3.62 spring semester GPA.
Softball: Reisinger is the fourth repeat winner for the sport and Truman's only softball scholar-athlete since joining league membership in 2013. Her junior year accolades were numerous and included GLVC Player of the Year, First Team All-GLVC, Fastpitch News Preseason All-America, two-time GLVC Player of the Week, top 25 for National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Player of the Year, NFCA First Team All-Region, D2CCA Regional Player of the Year, D2CCA First-Team All-Region, and NFCA and D2CCA Second Team All-American. Moreover, she is the first player in GLVC history to win three top laurels in consecutive campaigns. Those awards were merited after she produced on the diamond with a GLVC-best .458 batting average, GLVC-best .775 slugging clip, GLVC-best on-base percentage (.554), GLVC-best stolen bases (38), second-highest runs (49), third-best walks (28), third-most triples (5), sixth-best home runs (10), and seventh-most hits (65). As a team, the Bulldogs went 26-20 with Reisinger starting all 46 games, with a GLVC clip of 15-13. In the classroom, the junior was named Academic All-GLVC, CoSIDA Academic All-District, and CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America after a 3.53 spring semester. Her cumulative mark stands at 3.68 while she studies agricultural science and business administration.
Men's Swimming and Diving: Bazzoli, in the sport's fifth season, is the second Drury student-athlete selected to scholar-athlete status with Nick McCarthy being chosen as the first-ever honoree in 2014. The 2018 GLVC Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award winner earned three GLVC titles, breaking league records in both the 100-yard breaststroke (53.65) and as part of the 200 medley relay (1:28.14), also capturing the 200 breast gold medal en route to a runner-up finish for the Panthers' squad. At the NCAA D-II Championship meet, he swam the 100 breast (52.68) even faster to win the national championship, while also placing fifth in the 200 medley relay (1:28.01), ninth in the 200 breast (1:57.81), and 12th in the 800 free relay (6:37.04), which all assisted Drury to a sixth-place national result. Perhaps more impressive than his speed in the pool is the Peschiera Del Garda, Italy, native's academic resume that's full of distinction with no blemishes, as he is one of nine in this year's graduating class that maintained a 4.0 GPA every semester of his career as a psychology and sociology major. Because of that, he was a six-time Dean's List honoree, three-time Academic All-GLVC pick, three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, three-time Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholar recipient, and the 2018 NCAA Elite 90 Award winner.
Women's Swimming and Diving: Fitzpatrick garners the three-peat for Truman women's swimming and diving scholar-athletes, as Nikki Sisson started the trend in 2016 and Alison Strickler was tabbed as such last year. The product of St. Louis, Mo., was announced as a member of the Academic All-GLVC squad earlier this week and also picked up CoSIDA Academic All-District honors after a perfect 4.0 spring GPA to bump up her career mark to 3.87. She also earned a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. In the pool at the GLVC Championship, the Bulldogs finished third as a team, while the exercise science major and biology and disability studies minor placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay and was third in the 200 medley relay, 400 free relay, and 800 free relay. She also finished sixth in the 100 and 200 free and was seventh in the 50 free. A few weeks later at the NCAA meet, she earned honorable mention All-America merit in the 50 free (13th), 200 free (11th), and 800 free relay (13th).
Men's Tennis: Indianapolis gets its third honor in the sport with the selection of Hoffacker this year, as Luke Hubert was named in 2016 and Scott Riggle was the first-ever men's tennis pick in 1999 when the award was inaugurated. He finishes his career ranked No. 48 nationally and first in the Midwest in singles. In the No. 1 slot, the Lauffen, Germany, native compiled an 18-5 singles record and went 28-1 in doubles action to help the Greyhounds win the GLVC East Division at an undefeated 5-0 that complemented their 26-3 overall mark. They went on to secure their third-straight Conference Championship trophy before making an impressive run to the NCAA Semifinals. Earlier in the season, Hoffacker was named the March 3 Player of the Week. All of his work on the court landed him the GLVC Player of the Year accolade and All-GLVC distinction, while his 3.96 GPA as a business administration and management major helped him collect Academic All-GLVC laurels and a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team.
Women's Tennis: Karl follows Hadeil Ali from 2016 as only the second Drury scholar-athlete in the sport. She played in the No. 1 slot all season for both singles and doubles, going 10-3 and 13-3, respectively. She was ranked nationally in singles (20th) and doubles (21st) and found herself third in both categories for the Midwest Region. The Frankfurt am Main, Germany, product was chosen as GLVC Player of the Week at the beginning of the season on Feb. 13 and then aided the 19-2 Panthers to their eighth GLVC Championship title just over two months later on April 22. Prior to the postseason event, the team tallied an unblemished 6-0 West Division record to earn their seventh divisional title in a row. After capturing those titles, Drury earned a bid to the NCAA event and advanced all the way to the round of 16, losing to eventual National Champion Barry. Academically with a 3.56 semester GPA, Karl improved her overall mark to 3.42 while studying marketing and management, which earned her a spot on the Academic All-GLVC squad.
Men's Track and Field: Hogan repeats as a scholar-athlete and is the fourth Greyhound to win the accolade, joining elite company as the fifth overall student-athlete and second Greyhound in league history to win back-to-back distinctions for the sport. The redshirt-junior has carried a 3.90 cumulative GPA thus far while studying chemistry, earning numerous academic accolades this season to include Academic All-GLVC, Academic All-District, and Academic All-America. In competition, Hogan was named the GLVC Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year after winning the shot put at both meets and also earning titles in the weight throw and discus. The native of Indianapolis, Ind., garnered All-America distinction at both NCAA meets, as well, placing second in the discus at outdoors and eighth in the shot put at indoors. Additionally, he was a five-time GLVC Field Athlete of the Week in 2017-18, picking up two nods during the indoor campaign and three for outdoors.
Women's Track and Field: Roby is Bellarmine's third women's track and field scholar-athlete, following 2008 winner Katie Hickey and 2013 winner Angela Musk. The Knights' sprinter was the GLVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Week on Jan. 16 before winning four GLVC titles at the indoor meet in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash, the distance medley relay, and the 4x400-meter relay, which ultimately propelled Bellarmine to its third GLVC Championship. She was named All-Midwest Region in the 60m, 200m, 400m, 4x400, and DMR, while she picked up first-team All-America distinction in both the 400 and 4x400 for respectively placing fourth and seventh at the NCAA meet. A few months later, she placed second in three events at the outdoor meet, including the 100m, 200m, and 4x100 en route to a third-place finish for the team. Her outdoor 4x400 relay squad also earned All-Midwest Region honors. The time for her 60, 200, 400, 4x400 indoor races and 4x400 outdoor race are all program records. The product of Mt. Washington, Ky., held a 3.62 GPA through her four years while double majoring in Biology/Biochemistry and Exercise Science. That mark earned her Academic All-GLVC merits for the fourth-straight year.
Wrestling: In the sport's second year of league sponsorship, Strope is the first McKendree wrestler and third student-athlete honored as scholar-athlete, but this is the fourth time a Bearcat has been recognized. John Steppe was the first in 2013 for men's basketball, and Arela Williams won back-to-back volleyball laurels in 2015 and 2016. During the 2017-18 campaign, the 157-pound grappler went 40-12 in dual matches en route to helping McKendree win its first GLVC Championship after a perfect 6-0 record. For his efforts, Strope was named to the All-GLVC First Team. At the NCAA Super Regional 3, the Bearcats finished as runners-up before placing sixth at the NCAA Championships. Individually at the national tournament, Strope went 3-2 and placed seventh to earn his second All-America nod, concluding his career with a 116-48 mark and three GLVC Wrestler of the Week honors with his last coming this season on Jan. 30. In the classroom, the Westphalia, Mo., product tallied a 3.475 GPA while studying Business.