Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced the 22 student-athletes who have been recognized with 2014-15 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards. The selections are made by the conference’s Academic Affairs Committee.
The Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards are given to one student-athlete in each American Athletic Conference-sponsored sport based on academic credentials, athletic accolades and performances, and volunteer service to the community. Student-athletes who have attained junior academic standing and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 are eligible.
The 2014-15 honorees include Cincinnati baseball player Ian Happ, the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year who was selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft, and Memphis women’s soccer standout Kylie Davis, the 2014 American Midfielder of the Year.
UConn men’s basketball veteran Pat Lenehan, Tulane women’s basketball standout Jamie Kaplan, Memphis football’s Charles Harris and Cincinnati track and field competitor Brian Barney, who were awarded American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year scholarships in March, were the Sport Excellence Award winners in their respective sports.
The winners also included five student-athletes who won individual conference titles in the 2014-15 season: East Carolina swimmers Rokas Cepulis (100 and 200 breaststroke) and Bailie Monahan (200 butterfly, 800 freestyle relay), UConn track and field standout Faith Dismuke (indoor 800-meter run), Memphis’ Luis Hanssler (outdoor heptathlon) and SMU’s Karoline Skatteboe (outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase).
Memphis led The American with five award recipients. UConn had four selections, while East Carolina and SMU had three each.
UCF 2014-15 American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners
Women’s Rowing: Olivia Staples
Second-team all-conference selection; member of American Athletic Conference champion varsity eight.
Softball: Mackenzie Audas
First-team Capital One Academic All-America; unanimous all-conference first-team selection; school’s career leader in wins, strikeouts and no-hitters.
Article provided and written by the American Athletic Conference.