INDIANAPOLIS – University of Indianapolis senior men’s golfer Oliver Mast and senior softball player Hallie Waters have each earned the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award as the league’s male and female athlete of the year, the Conference office announced Thursday.
The awards are bestowed annually by the GLVC to one male and one female student-athlete that display academic excellence, athletic ability and achievement, character, and leadership. It is named in honor of former GLVC Commissioner, as well as coach and director of athletics at Saint Joseph's College.
Mast and Waters are the first Greyhound duo to sweep the Paragon Awards and fourth pairing from the same school to do so in league history. Co-winners were determined for each gender last year, while multiple recipients were also chosen in 1991-92, 2000-01, and 2003-04.
Mast is the first men’s golfer and third male student-athlete to claim the GLVC’s highest student-athlete honor. Scott Riggle earned UIndy’s first Paragon Award in 1998-99, while Payton Staman was awarded the honor last year. The Fortville, Ind., product was a key contributor to the UIndy men’s golf program from the beginning, posting top-15 performances at the GLVC Championships and NCAA Regional as a rookie during the 2017-18 academic year. As a sophomore, Mast earned his first of two GLVC Player of the Year awards, while carding four top-five finishes to be named All-Region. The graduating senior followed up a premiere junior campaign – three top-5 performances, GLVC Player of the Week before the pandemic forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season – with another league Player of the Year trophy after earning GLVC Player of the Week three times and winning three tournaments. This past season, Mast averaged a 72.8 strokes per round to lead the Greyhounds to an NCAA DII national semifinal appearance.
Across his career, Mast accumulated a multitude of awards, including 2019 GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 2020 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar, five-time GLVC Player of the Week, and three-time Academic All-GLVC, as well as earning the President’s Scholarship and Dean’s List all four years. UIndy recorded a pair of top-five national finishes with Mast on the course, including a fifth-place tie in 2018 and semifinal appearance in 2021. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Management, Mast also owns the fifth-best career scoring average (73.52) in program history.
In addition to his academic and athletic responsibilities, Mast was involved across campus. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Mast was also crucial to the team’s Team Impact student throughout his four years as he coordinated hangouts to help further the relationship to the university and men’s golf program. Mast also took part in the Tim Tebow Foundation’s “Night to Shine,” where his duties were to give a special guest the prom experience. Moreover, Mast recently started his own business called 19th Hole Investments, which focuses on real estate and using tools taught through the university to help begin your career outside of golf.
Waters is the first UIndy softball player and sixth female student-athlete to earn the Paragon Award, following three wins by women’s golfers from 2013-14 to 2019-20. Waters wrapped up a historic career in the Crimson and Grey, ranking fifth all-time in UIndy history in strikeouts (510), sixth in career wins (60), eighth in career innings pitched (497.2), and ninth in career ERA (2.05), all despite the shortened 2020 campaign. This spring, Waters was named the GLVC Pitcher of the Year, as well as D2CCA Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year, while racking up All-GLVC First Team and NFCA All-Region First Team accolades. The Boonville, Ind., native finished her senior season with a 1.89 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, limiting opponents to a .179 batting average to lead the Greyhounds to a GLVC Championship – regular season and tournament. As a sophomore, Waters led the GLVC in wins (23) and saves (5), while tossing her first-career no-hitter; the righty was also dominant during 2020 before the pandemic, leading the league in wins and ERA.
The Biology and Psychology major has been a force inside the classroom, in addition to the diamond, from the moment she stepped foot on campus. Among the academic awards Waters has earned: 2020 Academic All-America Third Team; 2019 Academic All-America Second Team; 2020 GLVC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year; 2020 Kelso Reid Mental Attitude Award; three-time Academic All-GLVC; and two-time NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete. While leading the Greyhounds to 39 or more wins on three occasions during her playing career, Waters was accumulating an impressive 3.992 GPA with 142 completed hours.
Waters is a four-time All-Region performer, as she was recognized by NFCA and D2CCA in both 2019 and 2021. In addition, Waters was named GLVC Pitcher of the Week on four occasions, including three times in 2019 and once in 2020. Waters was also integral to local charity events, including the team’s Team Ealy initiative and Fraternal Order of Police, where she volunteered to go Christmas shopping for local children in need.