The University of Akron Athletics
Brenes, Beaumont-Courteau Earn MAC Medal Of Excellence Recognition
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AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron seniors
Reinaldo Brenes from the men's soccer team and Ariane Beaumont-Courteau from the women's track &
field program have been named recipients of the Mid-American
Conference's Medal of Excellence Award, the league office announced
Tuesday.
The Medal of Excellence is a newly created award which will be
presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from
the graduating class of each of the 12 conference member
institutions.
“The Medal of Excellence Award is a reinforcement of the
core values that we as a conference and each of our member
institutions all possess with excellence in academics, athletics,
leadership and service,” said MAC Commissioner Jon A.
Steinbrecher. “We congratulate all of our 24 Medal of
Excellence Award winners.”
Brenes was named to the watch lists for both the Hermann
Trophy and Senior CLASS Award in 2013 while further establishing
himself as one of college soccer's most dangerous finishers. The
team captain paced the Zips with eight goals in 18 matches,
including a team-high five game-winning strikes, and added a pair
of assists.
A two-time Academic All-American, the native of San Jose, Costa
Rica scored four goals in his final six matches, including a brace
against defending national champion Indiana in the first round of
the NCAA Tournament. Brenes, who was a team captain last fall,
posted a GPA of 3.74 as an international business major at UA.
Beaumont-Courteau has also been a great model for student-athletes
at UA. Since her freshman season in 2011, she has earned Academic
All-MAC honors five times while capturing the conference crown in
the pole vault twice. With a cumulative GPA of 3.99 as a dietetics
major, Ariane has also been named to the Academic All-America team
in each of her first three seasons.
The Canadian’s runner-up finish at last year’s MAC
Outdoor Championships was highlighted by a jump of 13-05.75, which
stands as the fifth-best outdoor mark in school history, and
qualified her for the NCAA Preliminary Round.
To be honored with the Medal of Excellence Award, student-athletes
had to participate on the varsity level in a conference sponsored
sport and show evidence of academic success with a minimum 3.50
accumulative grade-point average, exhibited athletics excellence,
leadership and service. The selection of the recipients was made by
each MAC institution.
All 24 of the league's honorees are scheduled to receive their
awards at the Honors Dinner Ceremony at the Renaissance Cleveland
Hotel Tuesday evening.
2014 Medal of
Excellence Award Winners
Akron: Reinaldo Brenes (men’s soccer); Ariane
Beaumont-Courteau (women’s track & field)
Ball State: Tyler Merkel (men’s golf); Audrey Bickel
(softball)
Bowling Green: Cody Apthorpe (baseball); Nicole Chiricosta
(women’s tennis)
Buffalo: William Regan (men’s basketball); Kristen Sharkey
(women’s basketball)
Central Michigan: Kyle Smith (men’s track & field/cross
country; Simone Lazar (field hockey)
Eastern Michigan: Cy Maughmer (football); Stephanie Clarke
(women’s soccer)
Kent State: Nathaniel Vance (football); Jessacca Gironda
(women’s soccer/softball)
Miami: Mason Krysinski (football); Sarah Mueller (field
hockey)
Northern Illinois: Richard Connors (football); Kimberly Gotlund
(gymnastics)
Ohio: Travis Wilkins (men’s basketball); Juliane Accurso
(women’s track & field/cross country)
Toledo: Zachary Kerin (football); Lauren Rafdal (volleyball)
Western Michigan: Oliver Mayer (men’s soccer); Michelle
Watson (women’s soccer)
