NORMAL, Ill. - Members of the Illinois State softball team were honored Sunday night at The Reggie's. The annual event awards academic excellence among athletes.
Nominees for the Jill Hutchison Female Athlete of the Year Award were: Rachael Brewer (cross country), Laura Canopy (softball), Sami King (gymnastics), Chloe Nelson (basketball), Emily Orrick (volleyball), Wenting Zhang (swimming and diving) and Kristen Zillmer (track and field).
Nominees for the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award were: Sara Bradley (softball), Hayley Guyton (golf), Maggie Kopp (swimming and diving), Ashley Rosch (volleyball), Nelson (basketball) and King (gymnastics). Nominees for the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award were: Chris Highland (football) and DeJong (baseball).
The winner of the Impact Award, honoring a student-athlete committed to excellence, leadership, academics and community, was Kelly McShea, a member of the women's cross country and track and field teams. Other nominees for the award were: Nichelle Harrison (softball), Katy Winge (women's basketball), King (gymnastics), Nelson (women's basketball) and Zillmer (cross country/track and field).
Sunday's awards were presented by members of the administrative staffs at both Illinois State and State Farm, and included Illinois State President Dr. Larry Dietz and Director of Athletics Larry Lyons.
Illinois State student-athletes posted a combined GPA of 3.11 during the Fall 2013 semester, as 258 student-athlete were named to the AFNI Honor Roll. Redbird student-athletes turned in a GPA of 3.13 in the Spring 2014 semester, as 247 were named to the honor roll.
In addition to their success in the classroom, Illinois State student-athletes provided over 2,500 hours of community service during the 2013-14 academic year.
Softball players listed on the AFNI Honor Roll are listed below.
Stevie Atterbury * Undeclared
Taylor Baxter * Middle Level Teacher Education
Sara Bradley * Biological Sciences
Laura Canopy Accounting
Molly Cull * Communication Sciences
Jordan De Los Reyes Agriculture
Brittny Drish Horticulture and Landscape
Lindsey Greene Exercise Science
Jhavon Hamilton University Studies
Nichelle Harrison Athletic Training
Annie Heineman * Commuication Sciences
Kolby Hoffman Business Administration
Elizabeth Kay * Physical Education
Lauren Kellar * Early Childhood Education
Kara Repp Agriculture
Regan Romshek * Community Health
Kelsey Turczyn Accounting
McKensie Vissering Business Administration
* Indicates student-athlete posted 4.0 GPA during fall,
spring, or both semesters, during 2013-14 academic year.
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