GLVC Names 2016-17 Winter & Spring Scholar-Athlete Recipients
INDIANAPOLIS – Thirteen student-athletes, representing seven Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) institutions, have been named as 2016-17 GLVC 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, men’s and women’s golf, 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 paced all league schools for the second year in a row with its four honorees, including Katharina Keilich (women’s golf), Florence Renard (women’s tennis), Austin Hogan (men’s track and field), and Katie Monk (women’s track and field). Truman State University followed with three recipients, including Cory Myers (men’s basketball), Christa Reisinger (softball) and Alison Strickler (women’s swimming and diving). Drury University was the only other school with multiple honorees, as Ryan Colombo (baseball) and Maximilian Hepp (men’s tennis) were recognized. The remaining four recipients all came from a different school: Lewis University’s Jessica Kelliher (women’s basketball), repeat honoree in Bellarmine University’s DJ Vogt (men’s golf), Missouri S&T’s Jon Glaser (men’s swimming and diving) and Maryville University’s Nate Rodriguez (wrestling).
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:  As a true utility player and the second Drury player selected in the sport, Colombo helped his Panthers’ squad earn the West Division title this season to go along with a 37-20 record and 19-9 mark in the league while starting all 57 games, including an appearance in the GLVC championship game and NCAA Midwest Regional. He logged time on the mound with a 12-3 record, was a designated hitter and found his way playing every position around the horn except catcher. This versatility earned him the 2017 GLVC Baseball Player of the Year award and a nod on the All-GLVC First Team. In addition to the GLVC postseason honors, the Topeka, Kans., native won the Josh Willingham Award as Division II’s Most Valuable Player, was a finalist for the Tino Martinez Division II Player of the Year award, named as a first-team All-Midwest Region player by D2CCA, NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings, as well as earning first-team All-American by NCBWA. Statistically, Colombo led Drury with a .375 batting average, hits (84), runs (48), doubles (11), ERA (2.62), strikeouts (78). Academically, the senior carried a cumulative GPA of 3.62 after concluding his career with a 3.66 clip in his final semester, studying sports management. His efforts in the classroom garnered Academic All-GLVC laurels and also a place on the Drury honor roll.
Men’s Basketball: Myers becomes the first Truman Scholar-Athlete for the sport and is just the third Bulldog selected overall, as Nikki Sisson was the women’s swimming and diving choice in 2015-16 and Ali Patterson was the 2014 fall honoree for volleyball. Myers earned his way to the accolade after a perfect 4.00 GPA this spring, upping his cumulative mark to 3.50 while studying exercise science. For his work in the classroom, the Ankeny, Iowa, product was named CoSIDA Academic All-District as well as Academic All-GLVC. On the court, Myers helped Truman to its first NCAA Regional appearance since joining the league while tallying a 22-10 overall reecord while 12-6 in the Conference. He started all 31 games, averaging 15.3 points on 49 percent shooting to ago along with 46 percent from three-point range en route to a school-record 86.8 points per game. The guard led the team with 143 assists and 62 steals, joined the 1,000-point club and was the first Bulldog in 33 years to record a triple-double. In addition, Myers was named to the All-GLVC First Team as well as the GLVC All-Tournament Team.
Women’s Basketball: GLVC Player of the Year, Kelliher finishes her sophomore year as the fourth Lewis player in the sport to be selected as Scholar-Athlete, as the most recent Flyer honored was teammate Jamie Johnson in 2014-15. Along with her top league honor, the forward also earned Division II Women’s Basketball Bulletin All-America third-team laurels as well as WBCA and D2CCA All-America honorable mention status. Additionally, she led Lewis in scoring (19.7 points per game), rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game) and blocks (1.6 blocks per game) while also setting the school record for field-goal percentage (65.2). Her scoring average led the GLVC while her shooting average also led the NCAA Division II ranks, and her mark for field goals made was third in the division. Under her leadership, the Flyers went 23-9 overall and 13-5 in the GLVC, including the team advancing to the GLVC championship tournament finals and NCAA Tournament for the fifth-straight year. Academically, the native of Waukesha, Wis., was presented with the Brother David Delahanty Award for academic excellence at Lewis, and she holds a 3.76 cumulative GPA after perfecting her studies this semester with a 4.00 as an undecided major.
Men’s Golf: Vogt repeats as the sport’s honoree, following another impressive season on the course and classroom as a junior, accumulating a 3.91 GPA overall after a perfect 4.0 this past semester while studying business administration/healthcare. His flawless mark earned not only the Scholar-Athlete title for the sport, but he was also named to the All-GLVC Academic Team and notched a Dean’s List spot, too. In addition, Vogt was nominated for the business honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma, and as vice president of the Bellarmine Investment Group. He also garnered the John T. Loftus Award for academic and athletic excellence from the university. The product of Louisville, Ky., was an honorable mention All-American by the GCAA, an All-Midwest Region choice, an All-Conference performer, twice the GLVC Player of the Week and had a great run in the national championship, finishing 17th overall. Moreover, he set a program-low, 18-hole score of 63 at the NCAA Regional and helped the Knights to a team championship in the league meet a few weeks prior. His overall average for the year was 72.6, while he recorded six top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments.
Women’s Golf: Keilich becomes the second Greyhound in a row to earn the accolade for women’s golf, as Paxton DeHaven was last year’s pick. The sophomore has maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA while majoring in sports management and minoring in business administration. She picked up academic honors from the Conference, being named as an Academic All-GLVC honoree and was also named to the Academic All-District Team and Academic All-America Third Team. On the course, Keilich helped Indianapolis set multiple records, including a new team scoring average low of 299.0 as well as an 18- (292) and 36-hole (584) score at the GLVC Championship. She was named to the All-America Second Team, All-East Region Team and the All-GLVC team after finishing in a tie for fifth a the event. She did two spots better by placing third at the NCAA Regionals and finished in a tie for 13th at the national meet. Her 74.3 strokes per round was good for the second-lowest scoring average in program history that helped her rack up a team-best nine top-five finishes and two wins in 13 events. Additionally, on four occasions the Wetzlar, Germany, native shot a season-low two-under 70 with two of those performances coming at the regionals.
Softball: Reisinger becomes the first softball selection from Truman after a record-breaking year on the diamond. Following her nod as the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2016, she turned in an even better showing as a sophomore and was named GLVC Player of the Year, having led the league in batting average (.509), hits (110), on-base percentage (.570), runs per game (1.19) and total bases (152). Her numbers for batting average and hits were also found atop the D-II ranks at the conclusion of the season with her 110 hits setting a new school record. The sophomore started all 63 games on her way to collecting first-team All-GLVC honors, NFCA and D2CCAA first-team All-American laurels and was also a finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA D-II Player of the Year award. All of that helped the Bulldogs to a 40-23 overall record and an 18-10 GLVC clip along with an appearance in the Conference Championship finals before they earned a berth to the NCAA Regional. In the classroom, the center fielder studies agricultural sciences and has accumulated a 3.67 GPA in four semesters after notching a 3.30 this past term. The Winfield, Mo., product additionally picked up CoSIDA third-team Academic All-America and Academic All-GLVC merits.
Men’s Swimming and Diving: Glaser is the seventh Missouri S&T student-athlete and third men’s swimmer in a row selected to Scholar-Athlete status after Keither Sponsler earned back-to-back nods in 2014-15 and 2015-16. He earned four GLVC titles at the postseason meet en route to being voted the GLVC Swimmer of the Year. His wins in the 50- (20.14), 100- (43.67) and 200-yard freestyle (1:35.42) earned him the gold, while the 100 and 200 free were new S&T and GLVC record times. The Wildwood, Mo., native also helped set school and league standards at the GLVC meet in the 800-yard free relay with a time of 6:30.81. His racing helped the Miners finish second at the championship ahead of his seven All-America awards at the NCAA D-II Championships. Glaser was the recipient of the Gale Bullman Award for the top S&T senior student-athlete and also was a member of the S&T honor roll. Additionally, he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. All that comes thanks to his career 3.38 GPA that was bolstered by a 3.76 this spring, as he studied mechanical engineering.
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Strickler makes this back-to-back Truman women’s swimming and diving Scholar-Athletes, as Nikki Sisson was tabbed as such last year. She also was announced as a member of the Academic All-GLVC squad earlier this week. In the pool, the psychology major placed first in the 100-yard freestyle at the league meet, third in both the 50 free and 100 backstroke and was part of three runner-up finishes in the 200 medley relay as well as the 200 and 400 free relay. Her individual efforts helped the Bulldogs to a runner-up team finish. Following that event, the St. Charles, Mo., native qualified for the NCAA National championship in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 back. She also had a B-cut time in the 200 free to go along with B-cut relay times as part of the 200 medley as well as the 200 and 400 free. Strickler finished her career with a 3.67 cumulative GPA after achieving a 3.81 clip in her final semester.
Men’s Tennis:  Drury earns its third honor in the sport with the selection of Hepp this year. He finishes his career ranked No. 2 in the Midwest Region in singles and No. 2 for doubles while respectively 19th and 6th nationally. He compiled a 16-5 singles record and went 17-5 in doubles action to help the Panthers win the GLVC West Division at an undefeated 5-0 to complement their 21-4 overall mark. They went on to finish runner-up in the Conference championship tournament before making an impressive run to the NCAA Round of 16. All of his work on the court landed him first-team All-GLVC distinction, while his 3.65 GPA helped him collect his fourth-straight Academic All-GLVC accolade and a spot on the Dean’s List. While an economics major, the Auenwald, Germany, product, tallied a 3.66 GPA this spring.
Women’s Tennis: Renard, Indianapolis’ sixth women’s tennis Scholar-Athlete, entered the Greyhound ranks as a transfer student and spent three semesters as an undergrad, maintaining a 3.491 GPA in global leadership with an entrepreneurship minor. She then followed with an unblemished 4.00 GPA as a graduate the last two semesters in 2016-17, studying strategic leadership and design. On the court, she went 21-5 in singles and tied her own school record for doubles wins with a 23-7 mark this season. The native of Neupre, Belgium, was ranked as high as No. 47 in ITA singles while 11th in doubles, and she also reached the finals of the ITA Midwest Region Doubles Championship with partner Hanna Volikova. In addition, Renard earned her third All-GLVC honor this season and helped the Greyhounds to an 18-4 overall record with a 6-0 GLVC mark that garnered the East Division title ahead of their trophy-winning run in the league championship event. UIndy also reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the third consecutive season.
Men’s Track and Field: Hogan was an All-American thrower this season in the discus after finishing third at nationals and also qualified in the indoor shot put (13th), outdoor shot (12th) and hammer throw (17th). He was the 2017 GLVC Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year while the Conference champion in the shot put, weight throw and discus. The Indianapolis, Ind., native earned a school-record five Indoor Field Athlete of the Week awards and also picked up one weekly award during the outdoor season. He also set the outdoor league record with a personal best 58.37-meter discus event, which was second best in Division II heading into nationals. All of these performances helped Indianapolis achieve runner-up status at the GLVC indoor meet and third place for outdoor. On top of those athletic accomplishments, Hogan starred in the classroom, as well, by maintaining a two-year GPA of 3.618, following a 3.588 this spring. He was selected as the school’s male GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honoree and captured Academic All-GLVC laurels, Academic All-District merits and Academic All-America recognition. The chemistry (pre-med) major is the fourth Greyhound to win the accolade in this sport.
Women’s Track and Field:  Monk becomes Indianapolis’ sixth honoree in the sport after she was named to the Academic All-GLVC squad and won multiple outdoor throwing titles. Her 3.332 GPA was bolstered by a 3.638 clip this past semester while studying biology/respiratory therapy. The Churabusco, Ind., native won the outdoor shot put, discus and hammer throw gold medals and was subsequently named as the Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Following the league’s meet, she qualified for nationals in all three events where she respectively finished 10th, 14th and 16th. Additionally, she was twice named Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week. As a team, Monk helped the Greyhounds finish second at the outdoor meet but redshirted her indoor season. Her best attempt at the shot put was 15.42 meters this season, along with a throw of 49.49 in the discus and 54.79 in the hammer.
Wrestling:  In the sport’s first year of league sponsorship, Rodriguez has earned many firsts, including the GLVC’s highest honor with the Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award as the top male student-athlete. The senior was also named Maryville’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year and becomes the sport’s first-ever Scholar-Athlete. He was a four-time NWCA Academic All-American, the 2017 CoSIDA At-Large Team Academic All-American of the Year, an Academic All-GLVC choice, a member of the Dean’s List every semester and chosen as the Saints’ male GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honoree. Those distinctions came thanks to his 3.931 overall GPA while studying biology, and he concluded the spring semester with a 3.821. Rodriguez was one of just two wrestlers to twice win a weekly award this season and was ultimately the first 141-pound wrestler to garner All-GLVC first-team honors. In the postseason, the Neosho, Mo., product won the national championship at 141 after winning the Super Region 3 title. He was additionally voted the Super Region 3 Wrestler of the Year and ended his career as the ninth-most dominant wrestler in D-II. In 2016-17, Rodriguez went 32-2 while 6-0 in his first season competing against GLVC foes, and he notched nine falls, three tech falls and two major decisions.
