The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Places 18 Student-Athletes on MAC’s Distinguished Scholar Athlete List for Spring
June 27 | General, Men's Golf, Softball, Track & Field, Women's Golf, Women's Tennis
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COMPLETE MAC DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR ATHLETE RELEASE
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference announced on Monday, June 26, the Distinguished Scholar Athletes from the eight spring sports during this 2016-17 academic season as 186 students were voted by faculty athletic representatives at MAC institutions representing the 'best of the best' from each sports Academic All-MAC Teams.
Leading the way were 57 MAC women's outdoor track and field students named as Distinguished Scholar Athletes. MAC women's softball students had 34 selections, while baseball added 30 honorees. MAC men's outdoor track and field had 25 selections, with women's golf collecting 14 honorees. MAC women's tennis had 12 selections and men's tennis and men's golf each added seven honorees.
Akron boasted 18 representatives across six teams, led by seven student-athletes from the women's indoor track and field. Men's indoor track had five honorees, while softball, women's tennis, men's and women's golf had two, two, one and one recipient, respectively.
Senior Sean Poholski (Barberton, Ohio) led the way for the Zips becoming the first Akron student-athlete competing on a spring sport to garner Distinguished Scholar Athlete accolades in each of the award's three years of existence. Earning the honor for the second consecutive year for the Zips was junior Jackie Siefring (Covington, Ohio) and senior Tara Snipes (Covington, Ohio) from women's track, and juniors Ariadna Blinova (Riga, Latvia) and Sophia Geier (Burgebrach, Germany) from the women's tennis squads.
In its third year, the Distinguished Scholar Athlete award is given to student-athletes who have excelled in athletics and academics. Following each season from the fall sports schedule, any student-athlete with a 3.20 GPA and participation in at least 50 percent of the contests was automatically named to the previously announced Academic All-MAC Team from each sport. Also, first-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence were not eligible for the award.
From the Academic All-MAC Teams, the faculty athletic representatives selected the 'best of the best' of our Academic All-MAC Teams to be honored with Distinguished Scholar Athlete Award for the 2016-17 season. The number of Distinguished Scholar Athletes from each sport is equivalent to the number of first-team selections, or 33 percent of nominees, whichever was greater.
2017 MAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Distinguished Scholar Athletes (5):
Adam Alexander, Akron, So., 3.818, Nursing (Tiffin, Ohio)
Tevin Brown, Akron, Fr. (R), 3.678, Intervention Education Moderate/Intensive (Toledo, Ohio)
*#Sean Poholski, Akron, Sr., 3.924, Finance (Barberton, Ohio)
Curtis Richardson, Akron, So., 3.296, Computer Science (Blacklick, Ohio)
Dan Zupan, Akron, Sr., 3.377, Intervention Education Mild/Moderate (Berea, Ohio)
2017 MAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Distinguished Scholar Athletes (7):
Mackenzie Andrews, Akron, So., 3.838, PK-12 Physical Ed. (Toowoomba, Australia)
Morgan Buckley, Akron, So., 3.933, Accounting (Warren, Ohio)
Weronika Gaudyn, Akron, Sr., 3.767, Fashion Merchandising (Kracow, Poland)
Rebecca Pietsch, Akron, Jr., 4.00, Organizational Supervision (Dusseldorf, Germany)
*Jackie Siefring, Akron, Jr., 3.623, Biomedical Engineering (Covington, Ohio)
*Tara Snipes, Akron, Sr., 3.896, Information Systems Management (Covington, Ohio)
Becky Szabo, Akron, Sr., 3.464, Biomedical Engineering (North Olmsted, Ohio)
2017 MAC Men's Golf Distinguished Scholar Athletes (1):
Zach Gollwitzer, Akron, Sr., 3.863, Corporate Finance (Ballwin, Mo.)
2017 MAC Women's Golf Distinguished Scholar Athletes (1):
Danielle Nicholson, Akron, So., 3.328, Education (Geneva, Ohio)
2017 MAC Women's Tennis Distinguished Scholar Athletes (2):
*Ariadna Blinova, Akron, Jr., 3.382, Civil Engineering (Riga, Latvia)
*Sophia Geier, Akron, Jr., 3.898, Sport Management (Burgebrach, Germany)
2017 MAC Softball Distinguished Scholar Athletes (2):
Cassie Gillespie, Akron, Jr., 3.947, Exercise Science/Pre-Physical Therapy (Sylvania, Ohio)
Taylor Kirian, Akron, Jr., 3.810, Supply Chain/Operations Management (New Riegel, Ohio)
*2015-16 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
#2014-15 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
COMPLETE MAC DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR ATHLETE RELEASE
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference announced on Monday, June 26, the Distinguished Scholar Athletes from the eight spring sports during this 2016-17 academic season as 186 students were voted by faculty athletic representatives at MAC institutions representing the 'best of the best' from each sports Academic All-MAC Teams.
Leading the way were 57 MAC women's outdoor track and field students named as Distinguished Scholar Athletes. MAC women's softball students had 34 selections, while baseball added 30 honorees. MAC men's outdoor track and field had 25 selections, with women's golf collecting 14 honorees. MAC women's tennis had 12 selections and men's tennis and men's golf each added seven honorees.
Akron boasted 18 representatives across six teams, led by seven student-athletes from the women's indoor track and field. Men's indoor track had five honorees, while softball, women's tennis, men's and women's golf had two, two, one and one recipient, respectively.
Senior Sean Poholski (Barberton, Ohio) led the way for the Zips becoming the first Akron student-athlete competing on a spring sport to garner Distinguished Scholar Athlete accolades in each of the award's three years of existence. Earning the honor for the second consecutive year for the Zips was junior Jackie Siefring (Covington, Ohio) and senior Tara Snipes (Covington, Ohio) from women's track, and juniors Ariadna Blinova (Riga, Latvia) and Sophia Geier (Burgebrach, Germany) from the women's tennis squads.
In its third year, the Distinguished Scholar Athlete award is given to student-athletes who have excelled in athletics and academics. Following each season from the fall sports schedule, any student-athlete with a 3.20 GPA and participation in at least 50 percent of the contests was automatically named to the previously announced Academic All-MAC Team from each sport. Also, first-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence were not eligible for the award.
From the Academic All-MAC Teams, the faculty athletic representatives selected the 'best of the best' of our Academic All-MAC Teams to be honored with Distinguished Scholar Athlete Award for the 2016-17 season. The number of Distinguished Scholar Athletes from each sport is equivalent to the number of first-team selections, or 33 percent of nominees, whichever was greater.
2017 MAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Distinguished Scholar Athletes (5):
Adam Alexander, Akron, So., 3.818, Nursing (Tiffin, Ohio)
Tevin Brown, Akron, Fr. (R), 3.678, Intervention Education Moderate/Intensive (Toledo, Ohio)
*#Sean Poholski, Akron, Sr., 3.924, Finance (Barberton, Ohio)
Curtis Richardson, Akron, So., 3.296, Computer Science (Blacklick, Ohio)
Dan Zupan, Akron, Sr., 3.377, Intervention Education Mild/Moderate (Berea, Ohio)
2017 MAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Distinguished Scholar Athletes (7):
Mackenzie Andrews, Akron, So., 3.838, PK-12 Physical Ed. (Toowoomba, Australia)
Morgan Buckley, Akron, So., 3.933, Accounting (Warren, Ohio)
Weronika Gaudyn, Akron, Sr., 3.767, Fashion Merchandising (Kracow, Poland)
Rebecca Pietsch, Akron, Jr., 4.00, Organizational Supervision (Dusseldorf, Germany)
*Jackie Siefring, Akron, Jr., 3.623, Biomedical Engineering (Covington, Ohio)
*Tara Snipes, Akron, Sr., 3.896, Information Systems Management (Covington, Ohio)
Becky Szabo, Akron, Sr., 3.464, Biomedical Engineering (North Olmsted, Ohio)
2017 MAC Men's Golf Distinguished Scholar Athletes (1):
Zach Gollwitzer, Akron, Sr., 3.863, Corporate Finance (Ballwin, Mo.)
2017 MAC Women's Golf Distinguished Scholar Athletes (1):
Danielle Nicholson, Akron, So., 3.328, Education (Geneva, Ohio)
2017 MAC Women's Tennis Distinguished Scholar Athletes (2):
*Ariadna Blinova, Akron, Jr., 3.382, Civil Engineering (Riga, Latvia)
*Sophia Geier, Akron, Jr., 3.898, Sport Management (Burgebrach, Germany)
2017 MAC Softball Distinguished Scholar Athletes (2):
Cassie Gillespie, Akron, Jr., 3.947, Exercise Science/Pre-Physical Therapy (Sylvania, Ohio)
Taylor Kirian, Akron, Jr., 3.810, Supply Chain/Operations Management (New Riegel, Ohio)
*2015-16 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
#2014-15 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
/ Women's Tennis
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
/ Women's Tennis
1B
/ Softball
/ Men's Golf
OF
/ Softball
/ Women's Golf
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Multis
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Multis
/ Track & Field
Distance
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