Lipscomb student athletes among the top of their class
Mark McGee | Lipscomb Athletics |
Several Lipscomb student athletes have put an exclamation point on the academic part of their lives.
At the university-wide academic awards reception Monday, April 20, a number of current and former Lipscomb athletes were honored for their excellence in the classroom. Thirteen received awards as the top students in their fields of study, 10 were named to “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities” and three were recognized for their work with the Presidential Ambassadors Council.
Provost Craig Bledsoe and his wife, Sandy, hosted the event at Longview.
"I want to congratulate all of our coaches and our staff for recruiting, and equipping for success, so many outstanding student athletes,” Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson said. “I especially want to point out the good work done by our associate A.D. for academics, Dr. Lin Garner. And, of course, I want to congratulate all of the student athletes who put in the hard work needed to earn these honors, along with so many others who have also excelled this year.
"Lipscomb is consistently at or near the top of the Atlantic Sun's All-Academic awards, and I'm proud to be associated with so many who prove that it’s possible to excel in both the classroom and in competition."
Those receiving academic department awards were:
- Tyler Glenn (men's cross country and track and field): Marketing Award of Excellence
- Brianne Welch (softball): Journalism-New Media Award
- April Terry (women's track and field): Carol Hall Student Teacher Award
- Kristen Sturdivant (softball): Thomas Whitfield Future Teacher Award
- Meredith Kilburn (women's cc and track and field): Prix Eiffel Award for first-year French
- Katelyn Bianchini (women's cross country and track and field): Premio Isabel Allende: Avanzado for Advanced Spanish
- Samantha Khan (women's golf): Fashion Merchandising Award
- Paige Neely (softball): John W. Burgess Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Political Science
- Kayla Ann Droessler (women's cross country and track and field): Outstanding Dietetics Award
- Kaitlyn Llewellyn (women's cross country and track and field): Outstanding Exercise Science Major Award
- Brandon Thomas (former baseball player): Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering Academic Award
- Madison Wray (former softball player): Prix Marceline for Advanced French
- Nicole Marton (former women's soccer player): Schillerpreis for Intermediate German
“When I attended the university reception honoring students from across the university who received academic awards I was thrilled to see so many athletes there,” Garner said. “They have excelled in various academic disciplines and outstandingly proven that student-athletes can do more than just balance academics and athletics. They surpass many of their peers academically as they tackle the challenges of being an NCAA Division I athlete
“I am very proud of all of them and congratulate them on their academic achievements. They are superb representatives of 'Our Team,' and we are honored that they have received these accolades from the university faculty and administration.”
Ten student-athletes were named to Who’s Who. They are Ben Ashley (former cross country and track and field athlete),Karli Crosby (women’s soccer), Droessler (women’s cross country and track and field), Joshua Enderle (men's golf),Lauren Ford (volleyball), Tyler Glenn (men's cross country and track and field), Kaitlyn Llewellyn (women's cross country and track and field), Neely (softball), Megan Stout (volleyball) and Terry (women's track and field).
Members of the Presidential Ambassadors Council are Lorena Djuknic, D. A. Lowery and Terry.
Brian Mast, senior director of Student Success and former Lipscomb baseball standout, knows firsthand what it takes to be a success both on and off of the athletic field.
“Student athletes have very demanding athletic schedules so for these students to be honored in this manner means they have dedicated themselves to not only being the best athlete they can be but also performing at high levels academically,” Mast said. “I feel like our student athletes come in with a great understanding of the academic rigor associated with earning a degree from Lipscomb University.
“Having said that, they know there will be many long hours of academic preparation outside of the classroom and after long intense practices. On numerous occasions, I have witnessed student athletes studying in the Academic Success Center during early morning hours as well as late into the evenings. They understand the necessity of time management and planning ahead in order to benefit them academically.”
Kent Johnson, faculty athletic representative, commended the student athletes honored for being great ambassadors for both Lipscomb athletics and Lipscomb University.
“We are proud of the athletic and academic performances of all our student athletes, “ Johnson said. “We are especially proud of those student athletes who distinguish themselves in the classroom and compete academically as well as athletically.”