INDIANAPOLIS – Bellarmine University cross country runner Angela Musk was one of seven student-athletes to be honored by the Great Lakes Valley Conference on Thursday as the senior was named women's cross country Scholar Athlete of the Year.
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).
Others receiving the honor are Rockhurst soccer players Paolo Scoppola and Taylor Skala, William Jewell soccer standout Sarah Franklin, Lewis distance specialist Andrew McLain, Indianapolis football back Klay Fiechter, and Missouri S&T volleyball star Jennifer Costello.
Musk turned in a dominant 2012 season with the Knights as the senior ran away with a record number of GLVC Runner of the Week awards, the GLVC Championship, and GLVC Runner of the Year honors. The Bardstown, Ky., native finished 12th at the NCAA Championship to earn All-America accolades, after placing second as an All-Region performer at the NCAA Midwest Regional. She helped the Knights to a runner-up finish at the conference championships and a 19th-place result at the NCAA Championships. Over the 2012 campaign, Musk established school records at both 5,000 (17:31.2) and 6,000 meters (20:57.4). The double-major in psychology and art turned in a 3.67 GPA last semester to bring her cumulative GPA to 3.65.
Scoppola, a native of Rome, Italy, recently completed his junior season helping the Hawks to the GLVC Men's Soccer Championship and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional. Rockhurst fell in the regional finals to close its season 18-3-2 overall, including 12-2-1 in league play. Scoppola contributed greatly to the Hawks' success this year, ranking second on the team in goals (7), assists (6), points (20) and game-winning goals (4). The midfielder earned first-team All-GLVC accolades this year as well as second-team distinction on the NSCAA All-Region squad. Majoring in international business, Scoppola earned a 3.77 grade point average in the fall to improve his cumulative GPA to 3.52.
Skala earned recognition in women's soccer and shares the award with William Jewell's Franklin due to a tie in voting. A native of Long Grove, Ill., Skala led the Hawks to a 14-4-3 overall record and a 10-2-3 mark in conference play. The first-team All-GLVC honoree ranked third in the conference in points (24) and shots (64), as well as fourth in goals (12). She was a consensus All-Region pick by Daktronics and the NSCAA, and was also tabbed as a Capital One Academic All-America third-team selection. The sophomore forward boasted a 3.90 GPA this past fall and currently holds a 3.95 cumulative GPA as a biology (pre-optometry) major.
Franklin finished up her 2012 season as the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team NSCAA Scholar All-Region selection. The junior forward, who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall, improved her cumulative GPA to 3.81 while pursuing a degree in communications. Franklin led the conference in both goals (16) and points (36) in the fall, helping Jewell to a 15-3-3 record and an 11-1-3 league mark. The Independence, Mo., native also earned second-team All-America distinction after leading the Cardinals to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
McLain also had a decorated fall campaign where he placed fourth at the GLVC Championship and third at the NCAA Midwest Regional, which qualified him for the NCAA Championship. The USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region honoree and All-Conference selection set personal bests at all three distances this season, including 6,000 (19:04), 8,000 (24:30.35) and 10,000 (310:09) meters. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native registered a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall to help his cumulative GPA to 3.84 in the field of sports management.
Fiechter, a running back on the Greyhounds football squad that captured the inaugural GLVC Championship this past fall, was a unanimous first-team All-Conference selection and a candidate for the Harlon Hill Award, given annually to the top player in Division II. A two-time GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week, Fiechter set school records for rushing yards (1,475), rushing TDs (19), total TDs (21), points scored (126), all-purpose yards (2,237) and punt return average (21.3). The Bluffton, Ind., native finished his junior season by helping UIndy (10-3, 8-0 GLVC) to its first-ever Division II playoff appearance and win. The league's leading rusher got it done in the classroom as well, having earned Capital One Academic All-America first-team honors following a 3.94 semester GPA. Fiechter improved his cumulative GPA to 3.698 in the field of exercise science and pre-physical therapy.
Costello helped her Missouri S&T squad to the outright GLVC West Division title this past fall, while also picking up first-team All-Conference and first-team AVCA All-Midwest Region honors as well. She finished third in the GLVC and 13th nationally with 11.23 assists per set, and posted 1,359 assists on the year. The St. Louis, Mo., native added 59 kills, 57 blocks and nine service aces on the season, and was recognized nationally for her work in the classroom. With a perfect semester and cumulative 4.0 GPA in chemical engineering, Costello was named the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year for NCAA Division II volleyball.
The recipients of the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the remaining league sports will be announced in June. In all, 16 student-athletes are awarded the honor by the league annually.