CLEVELAND - The Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) is pleased to recognize Jessica Kelliher (Lewis University) and John Cominsky (University of Charleston) as the 2018-19 Scholar-Athletes of the Year.  
 
Not only in their respective sport did they succeed but also in the classroom. Kelliher maintained a 3.86 GPA as an organizational communications major, while Cominsky maintained a 3.98 GPA as a biology and chemistry double major. Kelliher and Cominsky were amongst the 20 regional scholar-athlete award winners, selected by the D2 CCA.
 
"John and Jessica epitomize what it means to be a NCAA Division II student-athlete.  They both excel in competition, in the classroom and in their communities," said D2 CCA President Erin Lind, commissioner of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.  "These two were selected from a pool of highly decorated student-athletes from across the nation. I am proud to see such deserving individuals represent not only the Mountain East Conference and Great Lakes Valley Conference, but the entire Division II family."
 
On behalf of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), Jessica Kelliher has made herself known at Lewis University as a women's basketball star. This past year Kelliher left her mark on the GLVC by becoming the all-time leading scorer, finishing her career with 2,764 points. She has won numerous conference awards such as: GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award, GLVC Player of the Year, GLVC Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award winner. Kelliher is also a seven-time GLVC Player of the Week. On the court, Kelliher averaged 24.3 points a game and she was 1^st in the GLVC and 7^th in the NCAA.
 
John Cominsky led the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with 16.5 Tackles for Loss, making him 3^rd in the NCAA. Within the MEC he was named Defensive Player of the Year, MEC All-Academic Team twice and was named D2 CCA First Team All-Region. In addition to his trophy case of endeavors, he received CoSIDA Academic All District, All Region, All American and was named to the MEC Academic Honor roll. Cominsky was a Reese's Senior Bowl participant and a recent 2019 NFL draftee in the 4^th round, pick 135 for the Atlanta Falcons.

Joining Kelliher as the women's regional winners are:
 

Name	Class	School	Region	Conference	Sport	Major	GPA
Alicia Belko	Graduate Student	California University of Pennsylvania	Atlantic	PSAC	Women's Cross Country	Exercise Science	4.0
Elizabeth Berry	Senior	Rollins College	South	SSC	Women's Rowing	Psychology & Spanish	4.0
Kendall Fitzgerald	Junior	Post University	East	CACC	Women's Cross Country/ Track & Field/ Ice Hockey	Biology	3.98
Kristine Gegeshidze	Senior	University of Charleston	Atlantic	MEC	Women's Tennis	Business Administration/ Sport Business	3.85
Anna Holmquist	Senior	Wingate University	Southeast	SAC	Volleyball	Political Science	3.94
Alexa Shindruk	Senior	Central Washington University	West	GNAC	Cross Country/ Track & Field	Accounting	4.0
Megan Wenham	Senior	Colorado School of Mines	South Central	RMAC	Women's Cross Country/ Track & Field	Mechanical Engineering	4.0
Anna Winter	Junior	Upper Iowa University	Central	NSIC	Volleyball	Mathematics/ Chemistry/ Biology	4.0

 
Men's regional winners in addition to Cominsky are:
 

Name	Class	School	Region	Conference	Sport	Major	GPA
Hunter Brown	Junior	Wayne State University	Midwest	GLIAC	Baseball	Public Relations	3.63
Jack Hansbury	Senior	Bentley University	East	NE-10	Football	Corporate Finance & Accounting	3.95
Kirby Hora	Senior	Augustana University	Central	NSIC	Football	Biology	4.0
Utah Jones	Senior	North Greenville University	Southeast	CC	Baseball	Sport Management	N/A
Cade Marlowe	Senior	University of West Georgia	South	GSC	Baseball	Biology/ Pre-Med	3.87
Jared Melone	Senior	West Chester University	Atlantic	PSAC	Baseball	Accounting/ Finance	3.867
Preston Mott	Senior	University of California, San Diego	West	CCAA	Baseball	Pharmacological Chemistry	3.904
Greg Taicher	Senior	Rollins College	South	SSC	Men's Lacrosse	Communication Studies	3.91
Jonah Theisen	Senior	Black Hills State University	South Central	RMAC	Men's Cross Country/ Track & Field	Physical Science/ Chemistry	3.897
Daniel Wallis	Senior	Queens University of Charlotte	Southeast	SAC	Men's Cross Country/ Track & Field	Communications	3.8

 
About D2 CCA: Initiated in 1992 to promote its member conferences and institutions, D2 CCA has made its mark in providing a united front for NCAA Division II athletics. Created after the break-up of the College Division Commissioners Association, the D2 CCA continues to create lines of communication and opportunities for its member conferences. The D2 CCA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 55^th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.