2009 GLVC Fall Scholar-Athletes

INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) has selected five student-athletes as Scholar-Athlete of the Year in their respective sports for the 2009-10 fall season. Drury’s Jaime Villa Zapatero and Blake Wilson, Indianapolis’ Kyleigh Turner, Quincy’s Jenna Boyko and Southern Indiana’s Mary Ballinger have been honored for their athletic and academic achievements.

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.
 

	Men's Cross Country: Jaime Villa Zapatero, Drury University Jaime Villa Zapatero, a junior from Madrid, Spain, has garnered GLVC Scholar-Athlete honors for the second consecutive season. The management and marketing major recorded a 3.64 semester grade point average and currently boasts a 3.62 cumulative GPA. Zapatero won the 2009 GLVC Championship with a time of 25:00.93 and helped his team to a second-place finish in the team standings. He placed second at the NCAA D-II Midwest Regional by completing the 10K course in a time of 32:29. He advanced to the NCAA D-II National Championships for the second straight year and finished 51st in the event. The 2008 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Academic All-American is a two-time Academic All-GLVC selection, a three-time All-GLVC honoree, two-time GLVC Runner of the Year and was the 2007 GLVC Freshman of the Year.
	Women’s Cross Country: Mary Ballinger, University of Southern Indiana Mary Ballinger, a senior from Chesterton, Ind., is a food and nutrition major at Southern Indiana where she has maintained a 3.532 cumulative GPA and recorded a 3.750 semester GPA. The 2009 GLVC Runner of the Year captured the 2009 GLVC Championship and went on to earn both All-Region and All-America accolades. She placed second at the NCAA D-II Midwest Regional and posted her top 6K time of the year at the NCAA D-II National Championships by finishing 12th in 20:45.90. Ballinger was named GLVC Runner of the Week three times in 2009 and posted her top 5K time of 17:33.30 at the MIAA/GLVC Challenge. She won a total of three races in 2009 and finished in the top five on three other occasions. Ballinger is a three-time All-GLVC selection and two-time Academic All-GLVC selection.
	Men’s Soccer: Blake Wilson, Drury University Blake Wilson, a junior from Coppell, Texas, is a defender for Drury’s men’s soccer team and architectural student with a 3.74 semester GPA and 3.31 cumulative GPA. Wilson was instrumental in the Panthers 21-2-0 record in 2009 and helped Drury capture its first GLVC Men’s Soccer Championship. The Panthers advanced to the final of the NCAA D-II Midwest Regional and were paced by its defense which finished second in the nation in both goals against average (0.47) and shutout percentage (0.65) and ranked fourth in the country in save percentage (0.863). Wilson, who recorded four shots for the Panthers and was named Second Team All-GLVC helped anchor the defense which recorded 15 shutouts. Wilson, who started all 23 games for the Panthers, was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Midwest Region Second Team and was a member of the Dean’s List at Drury in the fall.
	Women’s Soccer: Jenna Boyko, Quincy University Jenna Boyko, a senior midfielder from St. Charles, Mo., guided the Lady Hawks to a 15-6-1 overall record in 2009 and to the championship match of the GLVC Women’s Soccer Tournament. Boyko, a graphic design major with a 3.80 cumulative GPA, was named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year after recording 11 goals and four assists for a total of 26 total points. She was tied for first in the GLVC in goals scored and fourth in points. Her efforts helped Quincy to a 10-2-1 record in the GLVC and she guided them to the semifinal round of the NCAA Midwest Regional. Boyko was named a NSCAA First Team Scholar All-American, a NSCAA First Team All-American and was named as a Daktronics All-America honorable mention pick. She was the Midwest Region Offensive Player of the Year and also garnered First Team All-Midwest Region nods from both the NSCAA and Daktronics. Boyko is a three-time All-GLVC selection and has been named to the Academic All-GLVC team three times.
	Volleyball: Kyleigh Turner, University of Indianapolis Kyleigh Turner, a senior libero from Muncie, Ind., has earned GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors for the second straight year. Turner has maintained a 3.94 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 first NCAA Midwest Regional title and to the school’s second GLVC crown. She earned numerous accolades including American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Third-Team All-America, AVCA All-Midwest Region, Daktronics All-Midwest Region First Team and All-GLVC First Team honors. She finished second in the GLVC in digs per set (4.78) in 2009 and finished her career with a school-record 2,574 digs. She posted 658 digs in 2009, one shy of her single-season mark set in 2007. Turner, who was awarded the NCAA’s prestigious Elite 88 Award for the volleyball player with the highest cumulative GPA at the Elite Eight, helped the Greyhounds to a 38-2 overall record and 13-1 mark in the GLVC. UIndy set school records for most wins in a season and highest winning percentage (.950). Turner is a three-time All-GLVC First Team honoree and three-time Academic All-GLVC selection.