INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) has selected five student-athletes as Scholar-Athlete of the Year in their respective sports for the 2008-09 fall season. Drury’s Jaime Villa Zapatero, Indianapolis’ Brian Fishback, Abby Tracy and Kyleigh Turner and UW-Parkside’s Jessica Monson have been honored for their athletic and academic achievements this past academic year.
The league selects one student-athlete in each conference sport to be designated the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This award is based upon athletic accomplishments, both team and individual, and academic performance in the season upon which the award is based. Each conference member has the opportunity to nominate one individual from its team for the award. Nominees must have a cumulative grade point average which meets Academic All-American standards (3.30), and freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible for the award. The voting is completed by each institution's Faculty Athletic Representative.
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Men's Cross Country: Jaime Villa Zapatero, Drury University
Jaime Villa Zapatero, a sophomore from Madrid, Spain, was the 2008 GLVC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year after capturing the league individual title. He finished the 8,000-meter meet in a time of 25:47.83 helping his team to a third-place overall finish. Zapatero earned a berth to the NCAA Division II National Championships where he finished 20th overall in a time of 31:50 in the 10,000-meter event. His was named All-American for his efforts at the national meet. Zapatero, a business major at Drury, carries a 3.59 cumulative GPA. He was twice named GLVC Runner of the Week in 2008 and is a two-time All-GLVC honoree. |
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Women’s Cross Country: Jessica Monson, University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Jessica Monson, a senior at UW-Parkside, won her second consecutive GLVC Women’s Cross Country Championship in 2008. The nursing major from Powers Lake, Wisconsin was named the 2008 GLVC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year after posting a time of 20:43.56 at the league meet, the fastest 6,000-meter championship meet time in league history. Monson, who carries a 3.872 cumulative GPA, also finished in third-place overall at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional and finished fifth at the NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Championship. She was named an All-American for her efforts. In the fall, she tallied a season record of 1,637-8 against fellow competitors. She helped the Rangers to a second-place team finish at the GLVC meet, while maintaining a 4.00 semester GPA. Monson was also named the GLVC Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2007. |
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Men’s Soccer: Brian Fishback, University of Indianapolis
Brian Fishback, a senior soccer standout from Springfield, Missouri, helped the Greyhounds to a 6-7-4 overall record and 5-4-3 record in the GLVC in 2008. He was named to the All-GLVC First Team after compiling a team-best four assists, two goals and one-game winner from his midfield position. Fishback, a team captain, was also second on the team in shots with 33. The Greyhounds finished fifth in the team standings and Fishback was named to the Daktronics Midwest All-Region First Team and NSCAA/adidas Midwest All-Region Second Team. Fishback, an accounting major at UIndy, has maintained a 3.810 cumulative GPA and posted a 3.950 semester GPA in the fall of 2008. He was also named the GLVC Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2007. |
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Women’s Soccer: Abby Tracy, University of Indianapolis
Abby Tracy, a senior goalkeeper for the Greyhounds, guided UIndy to the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament in 2008. She tied her own team record for single-season shutouts with ten and was named to the All-GLVC Second Team. The Greyhounds finished sixth in the GLVC regular season standings with a 6-3-2 mark and finished the 2008 season with an 11-5-2 record overall. Tracy allowed just 12 goals in more than 1,600 minutes in goal and ranked third in the GLVC with a 0.65 goals-against-average. She was also third in the league in save percentage (.865), second in shutouts (10) and sixth in saves (77). Tracy ranked 20th in NCAA Division II in goals against average and save percentage and was named to the NSCAA Midwest All-Region Third Team. The biology and chemistry major has posted a cumulative GPA of 3.917, was a CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine All-Academic District V First Team selection and helped her team earn a NSCAA Team Academic Award. |
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Volleyball: Kyleigh Turner, University of Indianapolis
Kyleigh Turner, a junior libero from Muncie, Indiana, has maintained a 3.917 cumulative GPA at UIndy as a business education major. In the fall, she posted a 4.00 semester GPA while guiding the Greyhounds to their second straight trip to the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals. Turner averaged 4.80 digs per set to rank second in the league and 32nd in NCAA Division II in the statistical category. She has recorded 1,916 digs in her career to rank first on the all-time UIndy list with a full year of eligibility remaining and received numerous accolades in 2008. She was named All-GLVC First Team, AVCA All-Midwest Region, Daktronics All-Midwest Region First Team, AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and was a member of the Midwest Region All-Tournament Team. UIndy finished third in the GLVC East Division with a 14-4 league record and posted an overall record of 29-10. |