INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference named its winter and spring Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2010-11, and Bellarmine's Braydon Hobbs (basketball) and Elliot Mattingly (track and field) were among the 10 student-athletes chosen for the honor.

The league selects one student-athlete in each conference sport to be designated the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award is based upon athletic accomplishments, both team and individual, and academic performance in the season upon which the award is based. Each conference member has the opportunity to nominate one individual from its team for the award.

Nominees must have a cumulative grade point average which meets Academic All-America standards (3.30), and freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible for the award. The voting is completed by each member institution's Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR).

Hobbs, a junior guard on the Bellarmine men's basketball team from New Albany, Ind., helped guide the Knights to their first NCAA Division II National Championship. The All-GLVC First Team selection averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in leading Bellarmine to a 33-2 overall record, 17-1 league mark and to their second straight GLVC Championship. Hobbs, who was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Third Team has maintained a 3.52 cumulative GPA in criminal justice and psychology and sports studies. He was a recipient of the D-II ADA Academic Achievement Award in addition to being a member of the Dean's List and Academic All-GLVC Team. Hobbs was named to the All-Midwest Region First Team, was an honorable mention All-America selection by Basketball Times, and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Midwest Regional. He ranked first in the GLVC in assists per game and fifth in the league in steals per game, while ranking third nationally in assists and fifth in assist to turnover ratio (3.21).

Elliot Mattingly, a senior from Bardstown, Ky. and member of the Bellarmine men's track and field team, posted a 3.63 cumulative grade point average in the physical therapy doctoral program while also excelling for the Knights in competition. He was named the GLVC Field Athlete of the Year at the outdoor championships and was a finalist for Midwest Region Athlete of the Year after placing first in the discus throw and javelin throw at the GLVC Outdoor Championships. He placed eighth in the shot put at the outdoor meet, while also posting top ten finishes in the shot put (8th) and weight throw (5th) at the GLVC Indoor Championships in February. Mattingly earned numerous academic accolades including the D-II ADA Academic Achievement Award, the Msgr. Raymond J. Treece Senior Merit Award from Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences and Fred J. Karem Scholastic Achievement Award. He was a Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National Catholic Athlete Honor Society.

The eight other honorees included:

Ja'Nell Jones, a senior guard for the Drury women's basketball team from Chesterfield, Va., helped the Panthers to a 20-10 overall record in 2010-11 and to a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament where they advanced to the semifinal round of the Midwest Regional. Jones was selected to the All-GLVC First Team and tallied the second most assists in a single season in school history with 130. She averaged 15.8 points, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game to rank in the top ten in the GLVC in all three categories. Jones ranked 38th in the country in assists per game and scored 20 or more points six different times during the season. Drury posted a 14-4 record against GLVC foes during the regular season and earned the GLVC West Division title. Jones, an advertising major at Drury, has maintained a 3.403 grade point average and finished her time at the institution with a 3.925 semester GPA.

Clarke Fry, a junior on the Rockhurst men's golf team from Manhattan, Kan., was named the 2010-11 GLVC Golfer of the Year after posting a 74.3 stroke average. He was an All-GLVC First Team selection as he tied for fourth at the GLVC Championships held at Panther Creek Country Club in April. Fry shot the low round at the event with a 69 and ranked seventh in the league in stroke average. The marketing major has maintained a 3.46 cumulative GPA while playing golf for the Hawks and in addition to making the Dean's List, was a member of the Academic All-GLVC Team. He finished in the top five in four different events during the year and shot a 73 or better in nine rounds. Fry earned medalist honors at the Illinois Springfield Spring Invitational and qualified for the NCAA Super Regional for the third year in a row.

Katrina Choate (St. Louis, Mo.) is a junior golfer for the Drury women's golf team and has held a 3.896 cumulative GPA as a secondary education and mathematics major. She posted a 3.935 semester GPA while leading the Panthers to a third-place team finish at the GLVC Championships. Choate earned medalist honors at the Drury Spring Shootout and at the Arkansas-Ft. Smith Lions Classic during the year and, in all, posted nine top five finishes during the year. She qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the second consecutive season and also helped her team place fourth at the NCAA Super Regional. Choate, a two-time National Golf Coaches Association Academic All-American, posted a 76.6 scoring average and tied for second at the GLVC Championships with a 77-72=149. She finished 34th at the National Championship Tournament by posting a four-round total of 312.

John Lazenby, a sophomore men's tennis player at Rockhurst from Joplin, Mo., excelled at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles for the Hawks in 2010-11. He helped lead Rockhurst to GLVC Championship and to the final eight in the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Tournament. Lazenby is a pre-med major at Rockhurst and has posted a 3.90 cumulative GPA. He was a member of the Academic All-GLVC Team, was an ITA Scholar-Athlete and a member of the Dean's List. Lazenby was 16-3 in singles competition and 18-6 in doubles. He earned All-West Division and All-GLVC honors while also capturing the ITA Midwest Regional doubles championship. He finished seventh in doubles at the ITA Small College National Championships. Rockhurst finished the year 22-4 overall, while Lazenby ranked 15th in singles in the ITA Division II Midwest Region poll.

Maureen Rielley, a junior on the Rockhurst women's tennis team from Overland Park, Kan., maintained a 3.467 cumulative GPA while also being named the 2010-11 GLVC Player of the Year. Rielley, a communications and history major, was named All-West Division and All-GLVC after posting a 19-4 singles record and 20-2 mark in doubles. She is ranked 48th in the ITA Division II national rankings and second in the Midwest Region. Rielley helped the Hawks to a 17-6 overall record and to the GLVC West Division title with a perfect 5-0 league mark. She was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team, was named an Academic All-GLVC selection, an ITA Scholar-Athlete and was a member of the Dean's List. Rielley captured the ITA Midwest Regional singles championship in the fall and placed seventh in singles at the ITA Small College National Championships.

Heidi Ertl, a senior from Marshfield, Wis., excelled athletically and academically as a member of the UW-Parkside women's track and field team in 2010-11. She was the GLVC Indoor Champion in the 5,000-meter run and finished as runner-up in the 3,000-meter run in the indoor meet. Ertl was named All-GLVC First Team for her efforts during the indoor season and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 10,000-meter run where she finished 17th. She also finished fifth in the 5,000-meter run at the GLVC Outdoor Championships. She was named UW-Parkside's Female Academic Athlete of the Year as she maintained a 3.926 cumulative GPA in mathematics and finished her student-teaching. Ertl posted a 4.00 GPA this past semester and was a member of the Provost's List. She ran the second-fastest time in school history in the outdoor 10K and posted the fifth best mark in school history in the indoor 5K.

Jordan White, a junior outfielder for the Kentucky Wesleyan baseball team from Leitchfield, Ky., has maintained a 3.86 GPA for the Panthers as an accounting major. In 2011, White, hit .390 with a .568 slugging percentage, 57 hits, nine doubles, five home runs and 36 runs batted in. He led the league in batting average and hits per game (1.5) while ranking fourth in slugging percentage. White was named to the All-GLVC First Team and was tabbed as a First Team All-Midwest Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He earned ABCA All-Midwest Region Golden Glove honors and was named the 2011 Kentucky Wesleyan Male Athlete of the Year. Kentucky Wesleyan finished with a 16-23 overall record in 2011 with a 10-18 mark in the GLVC East Division.

Torie Bunzell, a senior pitcher on the Quincy softball team from Utica, Ill., set numerous records on the field in addition to her success in the classroom. The 2011 GLVC Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award winner guided the Lady Hawks to a 34-18 overall record and 17-8 mark in the GLVC while posting a 3.40 cumulative GPA and 3.90 semester GPA as a communication major. Quincy finished runner-up at the 2011 GLVC Softball Tournament and made its second straight appearance in the NCAA Softball Tournament. Bunzell was named the GLVC and Daktronics Midwest Region Pitcher of in addition to earning All-GLVC First Team and All-Midwest First Team accolades. She was recognized as an All-America performer for the third consecutive season and finished her career second on the NCAA Division II strikeout list. She posted a 30-13 record with a 1.14 earned run average and a school-record 524 strikeouts. Bunzell led the country in strikeouts and shutouts and was second in the country in wins.
The GLVC, based in Indianapolis, is the largest NCAA athletic conference in the country with 17 league members in five Midwestern States. The Conference currently sponsors 17 championships in nine sports and supports the academic and athletic achievements of over 4,000 student-athletes.
For more information about the GLVC, please visit glvcsports.com.