Student-Athlete Recognition Celebration Honors Wolverines
4/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | General
April 12, 2016
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- At its annual Student-Athlete Recognition Celebration on Tuesday evening (April 12) at Crisler Center, the University of Michigan Athletic Department recognized varsity student-athletes who have distinguished themselves as leaders both in the classroom and community. University faculty and staff members joined athletics administrators, coaches and staff in honoring the student-athletes.
More than 450 student-athletes were recognized with U-M Athletic Academic Achievement awards for cumulative grade-point averages and achievements during the 2015 winter, spring and fall semesters.
Additional individual and team awards were bestowed at the event, honoring the achievements of student-athletes in academics, competition and community service:
Rookie of the Year: Freshmen Kim Johnson (water polo) and Ivo Cerda (men's soccer) -- awarded to the top freshman student-athlete who has excelled both academically and athletically.
Bates/Deskins Award: Junior Nicole Artz (women's gymnastics) -- awarded annually by the university to a junior student-athlete who excels both academically and athletically. It is named in honor of Percy Bates, U-M professor of education, and Donald Deskins, U-M professor emeritus of urban geography and sociology. Both showed a strong commitment to the success of our student-athletes both in and out of competition.
Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor: Senior Shannon Scavelli (field hockey) and senior Mason Ferlic (men's track & field) -- the most prestigious honor a student-athlete can receive, this is awarded annually at each Big Ten Conference institution to one male and one female student-athlete in the graduating class who has demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics.
Raeder's Raiders Spirit Award: Senior Nick Renberg (men's track & field) -- named in honor of the Raeder Family, this award has been presented annually since 2006 by the Letterwinners M Club to a student-athlete who positively impacts the team coming off the bench.
Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients: Senior Shannon Scavelli (field hockey) and senior Mason Ferlic (men's track & field) -- awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from each of the Big Ten institutions who plan to continue their education in a graduate degree program.
Student-Athlete Advisory Council Representative of the Year: Junior Lauren Pryor (women's lacrosse) -- this achievement is presented to a team representative who best represents their individual team and Michigan Athletics as a whole and has a passion for enhancing the student-athlete experience.
Let's Go Do Awards
Let's Go Do honors individual student-athletes for their varying commitments to community service and engagement in the areas of Education, Health & Wellness and Civic Engagement and continues to present the Rachael Townsend Leadership Award.
Education: Sophomore Rae Oleshansky (rowing) -- seen as a role model to a younger generation, the Let's Go Do award in education is given to an individual student-athlete who works throughout the academic year to drastically impact a school (or school system) through a message of their choice (i.e. bullying, reading, etc.).
Health & Wellness: Senior Cam Wysocki (baseball) -- educating the community on the benefits of an active lifestyle and nutrition while visiting patients to keep spirits high, this award is for a student-athlete who promotes health, fitness and wellness initiatives.
Civic Engagement: Junior Lauren Pryor (women's lacrosse) -- aimed at recognizing a student-athlete that supports the growth of the community as a whole using multiple avenues such as: food pantries, community clean-up, animal welfare, etc. Having employed a "roll up your sleeves" mentality, this award is given to a student-athlete that has invested considerable time in the cause of their choice with purpose, accountability and determination.
Rachael Townsend Leadership Award: Senior Shannon Scavelli (field hockey) -- seeking to honor an individual student-athlete that has made significant contributions to their community, this award is given to an inspirational leader inside and outside of the locker room encouraging their peers and teammates to serve. This student-athlete has led others through existing initiatives or developed an idea/program through to completion.
