April 9, 2009
Cleveland, Ohio -- The 26 winners of the seventh annual Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Teams were announced today by the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA).
"It’s an honor for the Division I-AAA ADA to annually award these academic all-star teams," stated Jean Lenti Ponsetto, chair of the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team Selection Committee and athletics director at DePaul University. "These student-athletes personify the definition of student-athlete, both on and off the court. Our Association is proud to be represented by such a strong group of student-athletes."
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. He/she must have reached junior athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution (true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible) and have completed at least three academic semesters/five quarters at the nominated institution. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games listed on the nomination form.
Additionally, from the Scholar-Athlete teams, one male and female student-athlete was selected as the Division I-AAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Receiving the women’s honor was Jessica Pike, a wellness, health promotion & injury prevention major from Oakland, with a 3.93 GPA; while the men’s award went to Jason Holsinger, an economics major from Evansville, with a 3.89 GPA.
A special Review Committee of Division I-AAA athletics directors were responsible for selecting the winners. Completing this task were Committee Chair Jean Lenti Ponsetto, DePaul; Pete Carlon, Texas Arlington; Don DiJulia, St. Joseph’s; Gene Doris, Fairfield; Bill Husak, Loyola Marymount; Kelly Mehrtens, North Carolina Wilmington; John Planek, Loyola (Ill.); and Scott Street, Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Men's Scholar-Athlete Team
| Name |
Institution |
GPA |
Major |
| Jason Holsinger * |
Evansville |
3.89 |
Economics |
| Tomas Jasiulionis |
St. John's |
3.60 |
Finance |
| Kevin Lisch |
Saint Louis |
3.48/4.00 |
Business Administration/MBA |
| Phillip Martin |
Radford
|
33.91 |
Social Science & Philosophy/Religious Studies |
| Yves Mekango Mbala |
LaSalle |
3.82 |
Integrated Science, Business Technology |
| Milan Prodanovic |
Iona |
3.66 |
Finance |
| Mike Schachtner |
Wisconsin Green Bay |
3.81 |
Psychology |
| Robin Smeulders |
Portland |
3.25 |
Marketing & Management |
| Ryan Tillema |
Wisconsin Green Bay |
3.40 |
Business Administration |
| Andy Wicke |
Belmont |
3.74 |
Environmental Studies |
Honorable Mention:
Chad Troyer, Pacific, 3.50, Communications
* Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Women's Scholar-Athlete Team
| Name |
Institution |
GPA |
Major |
| Felicia Chester |
DePaul |
3.76 |
Sociology |
| Elizabeth Doran |
Santa Clara |
3.93 |
Bio-Engineering |
| Jenna Green |
UC Santa Barbara |
4.00 |
Special Education, Disabilities & Risk Studies |
| Theresa Lisch |
Saint Louis |
3.95 |
Communication Sciences & Disorders |
| Katelyn Murray |
St. Bonaventure |
4.00 |
Biology |
| Jessica Pike * |
Oakland |
3.93 |
Wellness, Health Promotion & Injury Prevention |
| Traci Ray |
North Carolina Charlotte |
3.72 |
Art History |
| Jami Schaefer |
Gonzaga |
3.95 |
Business Administration |
| Erin Templin |
Wisconsin Green Bay |
3.65 |
Business Administration |
| Jenny Van Kirk |
Bradley |
4.00 |
Pre-Med |
| Natasha Williams |
DePaul |
3.29/3.68 |
Corporate & Multicultural Communications |
Honorable Mention:
Robyn Fairbanks, Utah Valley, 3.21, exercise science
Shannon Novosel, Evansville, 3.80, mass communications & Spanish
Morgan Robertson, LaSalle, 3.87, political science & psychology
* Scholar-Athlete of the Year
About Division I-AAA ADA: Now in its eighth year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (the 95 Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. For more information on the Division I-AAA ADA, please visit www.div1aaa-ada.com. The Division I-AAA ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 44th year. For more information on NACDA and the 11 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
