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 Hutchinson Female Athlete of the Year Award were Kaitlyn Early (volleyball), Samantha King (gymnastics), Regan Romshek (softball), Jianna Williams (track and field), Wenting Zhang (swimming and diving) and Rachel Tejada (soccer), who took home the award.
Nominees for the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award were Kadi Ilves (tennis), Kelly McShea (cross country/track and field), Romshek (softball), Rachel Root (swimming and diving), Eliza Smith (volleyball), Katy Winge (basketball), Tejada and King. King was named the award-winner.
The Good Neighbor Award went to McShea, a member of the women's track and field and cross country teams, who was also a nominee for the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. The Good Neighbor Award is presented to a student-athlete who has demonstrated commitment to excellence in athletics, service to others and personal conduct. Other nominees for the award were Dennis Colon (baseball), Stephanie Gallant (softball), Guyton and King.
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 3.16 during the Fall 2014 semester, as 301 student-athletes were named to the AFNI Honor Roll. Redbird student-athletes turned in a GPA of 3.15 in the Spring 2015 semester, as 257 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 2014-15 academic year.
Softball players listed on the AFNI Honor Roll are listed below.
Taylor Baxter* - Middle Level Teacher Education
Payton Billups* - Accounting
Alex Caliva* - Business Administration
Laura Canopy - Accounting
Molly Cull* - Communication Science Disorders
Jordan de los Reyes - Agriculture
Sarah Finck - Exercise Science
Stephanie Gallant - Communication Studies
Lindsey Greene - Exercise Science
Annie Heineman - Communication Science Disorders
Sophia Perez - Biological Studies
Lauren Prader* - Molecular Cellular Biology
Kara Repp - Agriculture
Regan Romshek* - Health Education
Riley Strandgard - Elementary Education
Abby Turczyn - Marketing
Kelsey Turczyn - Environmental Health
McKensie Vissering - Business Administration
* Indicates student-athlete posted 4.0 GPA during fall, spring or both semesters, during the 2014-15 academic year.
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