INDIANAPOLIS - Sixteen student-athletes from eight different Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) schools have been named 2021-22 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, women’s bowling, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’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 led the league with seven selections, while McKendree University had two recipients with University of Illinois Springfield, Truman State University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Lindenwood University, Maryville University, Drury University, and Lewis University rounding out the list with one honoree each. Indianapolis’
Oliver Mast (men’s golf),
Catharina Graf (women’s golf),
Anna Novikova (women’s tennis),
Ben Nagel (men’s track & field),
Cade Hammond (men’s swimming & diving),
Andrew Sams (wrestling), and
Abigail Lagos (women’s lacrosse) represented the Greyhounds, while
Leonardo Frederico (men’s tennis) and
Rebecca Hagerman (women’s bowling) from McKendree were honored for their efforts this year. Illinois Springfield’s
Austin Alderman (baseball), Truman’s
Cade McKnight (men’s basketball), UMSL’s
Alex LaPorta (women’s basketball), Lindenwood’s
Amanda Weyh (softball), Maryville’s
Casey Berberich (women’s track & field), Drury’s
Allison Weber (women’s swimming & diving), and Lewis’
Peter Carlson (men’s lacrosse) rounded out the honorees for the 2021-22 seasons.
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: A First Team All-GLVC selection, Academic All-GLVC selection, Second Team ABCA All-Region honoree, and Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American,
Alderman caps off his career with another Conference award. The senior from Springfield, Ill., moved into top-three all-time at UIS in career
s hits (199), runs (168), home runs (31), and RBI (154) on his way to helping the Prairie Stars win their first-ever GLVC Championship in any sport this spring before advancing to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships. The outfielder also hit .353 to finish ninth in the GLVC in hits (76), fourth in homers (16), and fifth in runs batted in (65), starting in all 57 games in 2022. In the classroom, Alderman achieved a 3.86 GPA in exercise science to boost his cumulative GPA to 3.73. Alderman is the first baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Prairie Star history.
Men’s Basketball:
McKnight was one of the best players in the GLVC during the 2021-22 season, averaging 19.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game to help lead the Bulldogs to a 20-10 record and another NCAA Tournament appearance. In addition to being a First Team All-GLVC selection, McKnight was a D2CCA First Team All-Region choice and a NABC All-American after finishing third in the league in points per game and 58th in all of Division II. Majoring in Leadership, McKnight sports a perfect 4.0 GPA and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and Academic All-GLVC selection. Until McKnight this year, Zach Fischer was the last Bulldog to win Scholar-Athlete of the Year back in 2017-18.
Women’s Basketball:
LaPorta is the new program leader for rebounds in a career with 1,130 boards and leaves the Tritons top three all-time in scoring (1,509 points), assists (427), steals (205), and free throws made (324). UMSL made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2013-14 season in 2022 and finished with a program-best 23 wins with LaPorta averaging 11.7 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, while her 3.9 assists per game was second in the GLVC but paced the league with 113 helpers on the year. The Highland, Ill., native’s on the court accomplishments were not the only accolades she picked up during her final season, as she was named Academic All-District by CoSIDA and Academic All-GLVC, finishing with a 3.85 GPA while pursuing her MBA. LaPorta is the first Triton in program history to win the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
Men’s Golf:
Mast became the second three-time GLVC Men’s Golf Player of the Year in league history in 2022, finishing with a 71.8 scoring average this past season with a low-scoring round of 63, and is now a three-time Scholar Athlete of the Year as well. He achieved five top-five finishes and eight top-10 efforts, while carding 19 of his 35 rounds at par or better. The postseason brought plenty of awards for the graduate student from Fortville, Ind., including All-GLVC and All-Midwest Region by the GCAA. Postseason play for Mast was impressive too, as he finished runner-up in match play at the GLVC Championship, as well as at the NCAA Division II Midwest/Central Regional before concluding his career at the Division II Championships where he logged another top-10 finish in a tie for ninth place overall. Pursuing his master’s degree in strategic leadership & design, Mast finished the semester with a 4.0 GPA to maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA overall as he was named Academic All-GLVC for the fifth time this week.
Women’s Golf: For the ninth-straight year, a UIndy women’s golfer is the Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the sport as
Graf is the newest Greyhound to win the award. The individual medalist at the 2022 GLVC Championship, Graf helped the Greyhounds win their 10
th consecutive Conference crown. The junior from Germany averaged 76.7 last season with a low-round score of 70 twice and logged three top-five finishes, as she placed third in the NCAA East Regional to help the Greyhounds clinch another trip to the NCAA Division II Championships where she became the fifth UIndy women’s golfer to win the NCAA Elite 90 Award. As a finance major, she finished last semester with a 4.0 GPA to keep her 4.0 cumulative GPA intact and named Academic All-GLVC.
Softball:
Weyh is the first All-American in Lindenwood softball history and now the first Lion to win Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the sport. A unanimous All-GLVC first-team selection this spring, Weyh finished the season with a 1.00 ERA and 183 strikeouts over 189 innings in the circle, while also contributing at the plate with 11 extra-base hits, scoring 24 runs and driving in 23 more. A CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and Academic All-GLVC honoree, the Makenna, Ill., native posted a 4.0 GPA this past semester and sports a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. Weyh will go down as the only Lindenwood player to win the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
Men’s Tennis: The 2022 GLVC Player of the Year and First Team All-GLVC selection helped lead the Bearcats to the school’s first-ever GLVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament win this spring and now the first Bearcat to win Scholar Athlete of the Year in the sport.
Frederico, the No. 1 player for McKendree, went a perfect 6-0 in GLVC matches this year and 20-4 overall in singles play, and was 3-3 in GLVC and 18-7 overall in No. 1 doubles play. The junior from Brazil ended the season winning 12-straight matches and ranked 53rd in all of Division II in singles player rankings. In the classroom, Frederico was an Academic All-GLVC honoree and a First Team selection on both the CoSIDA Academic All-America and Academic All-District At-Large teams, as he achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in both economics & finance as well as sports management, boosting his cumulative GPA to 3.95.
Women’s Tennis:
Novikova earned her third-consecutive All-GLVC nod in 2022 on her way to being named the league’s Player of the Year in the sport. Helping guide the Greyhounds to the National Semifinals last month, Novikova compiled records of 20-4 in No. 1 singles and 19-2 in No. 1 doubles. Doubles play was kind to the Ukraine product through the 2021-22 season, winning doubles matches in both the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals at the Division II Championships, as well as claiming the ITA Midwest Region Doubles title in the fall. Pursuing her MBA with a concentration in finance, Novikova achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA last semester to preserve her 4.0 cumulative GPA over the last eight semesters, earning First Team Academic All-District and All-America honors from CoSIDA as well as her fourth Academic All-GLVC selection. Having won the ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades prior, Noviakova is the fourth-straight Greyhound to win the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year laurels.
Men’s Track & Field: The NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Elite 90 Award winner,
Nagel earned All-America status with a third-place finish in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also holds the GLVC and UIndy records for the 800 in both indoor and outdoor track this year, earning All-Region honors for the event during the indoor season. An Academic All-District First Team selection and Academic All-GLVC honoree, the Mooresville, Ind., native has achieved a 4.0 GPA all four years at UIndy, studying actuarial science and is in line for additional Academic honors yet to be announced this summer. Nagel brings the Scholar-Athlete of the Year back to the Greyhound program after Austin Hogan last won the award in 2019, the last of his three-straight honors.
Women’s Track & Field:
Berberich has been instrumental in the growth of the Saints track & field program, as Maryville achieved its highest finish in the GLVC this year since joining the league. The multi-athlete won the Pentathlon at the 2022 GLVC Indoor Championships and the Heptathlon at the GLVC Outdoor Championships on her way to being named the Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Berberich broke two school records this season, as she now has the program gold standard in both the long jump (5.26m) and heptathlon (4,731) while also achieving NCAA Division II provisional marks in the high jump (1.70m), pentathlon (3,583), and heptathlon. Working toward her Doctorate in Physical Therapy, the product of Lebanon, Ill., achieved a 4.0 GPA last semester and currently boasts a 3.97 cumulative GPA and was an Academic All-District and Academic All-GLVC selection. Berberich is the first from the Saints women’s track and field program to win the Conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Men’s Swimming & Diving:
Hammond was the 2022 National Champion on the one-meter board and earned All-America honors on the three-meter board with a fourth place finish this year. The junior from Brighton, Mich., was named CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America before being named Academic All-GLVC this week, studying criminal justice with a 3.46 GPA this past semester and a 3.69 GPA overall. After a second-place finish at the GLVC Championships in February, Hammond is only the third Greyhound to ever win Scholar-Athlete of the Year in program history and the first since Payton Staman in 2020.
Women’s Swimming & Diving:
Weber was the 2022 GLVC Women’s Swimmer of the Year, as she helped the Panthers win the GLVC title in February, placing first in the 1650-yard Freestyle (16:51.19), the 1000-yard Freestyle (10:01.97), and the 500-yard Freestyle (4:53.40). While Drury finished fourth at the NCAA Division II Championships in March, Weber earned All-America laurels with a runner-up finish in the 1000 Free and a sixth-place finish in the 500 Free. The Marshall, Mo., native holds a 3.94 cumulative GPA, studying biology, and had a 3.90 GPA this semester to be named Academic All-GLVC for the fourth time in her career. Weber joins her teammate Bec Cross last year to make it back-to-back years with Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
Women’s Bowling: The No. 2 bowler on the McKendree National Championship team,
Hagerman received the NCAA Elite 90 Award before the Bearcats won the program’s second national title in 2022. Recording a 210.8 average on the season, the junior from Loves Park, Ill., tallied 32 200-plus traditional games during the 2021-22 season. Hagerman had five top-10 individual performances, including a runner-up finish at the Big Red Invitational. The postseason accolades quickly piled up, as she took home All-GLVC honors, was named to the NTCA All-Central Region Second Team, and capped everything off with a NTCA Second Team All-America honor. Hagerman, a three-time Academic All-GLVC selection, is a biopsychology major with a 3.87 cumulative GPA and finished last semester with a 3.50 GPA. Hagerman is the second from the Bearcats bowling program to win the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, joining Taylor Bailey who took the inaugural honor back in 2019-20.
Wrestling: Repeating as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
Sams was an NCAA Finalist in 2022, earning a second-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Leading UIndy in tech falls (6), takedowns (70), near falls (7), and match points (267) in 2022, Sams was named First Team All-GLVC, was a Midwest Classic Champion, and NCAA Super Region 4 Champion during the course of his senior year. The native of Fairfield, Ohio, had a 4.0 GPA last semester to earn NWCA Scholar All-America honors, Academic All-District honors, and his fifth Academic All-GLVC selection, as his 4.0 GPA during the 2021-22 academic year gives him a 3.64 cumulative GPA.
Men’s Lacrosse: The now two-time GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
Carlson and the Flyers made their first trip to the GLVC Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament in 2022 with the junior midfielder playing a big role for Lewis. He won 44.2% (72-of-163) of his face-offs, which was good for ninth in winning percentage in the GLVC and 60
th in Division II. The face-off circle was not the only part of the field where Carlson excelled, as the Lakeville, Minn., product scooped up 49 ground balls to rank seventh in the league in ground balls per game (4.1) and 64th in the country. Carlson holds a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA, studying business administration, making dean’s list each semester since arriving on campus and Academic All-GLVC each year.
Women’s Lacrosse:
Lagos filled the stat sheet in 2022, as she re-wrote the Conference and school record books on her way to helping the Greyhounds win their first National Title in program history. Earning a pair of Player of the Year awards from the IWLCA, Lagos took the Division II Player of the Year award and Division II Attacker of the Year awards home while being named First Team All-America by the coaches’ association as well. The USA Lacrosse Magazine recognized Lagos, as well, naming her First Team All-American after she totaled 93 goals and 118 points in 2022 – both school and league records. The 2022 GLVC Attacker of the Year, First Team All-Conference selection, and Academic All-GLVC honoree, Lagos had a perfect 4.0 GPA last semester to improve her cumulative mark to 3.95 while obtaining her master’s in sport management. Lagos joins her teammate Peyton Romig as the only Greyhounds to win the Scholar-Athlete of the Year since the league began sponsoring the sport in 2020.