W&M Athletics Honors 49 Student-Athletes With Provost Award For Outstanding Academic Achievement

03/16/06 1:41PM

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - Earlier this month, the William and Mary’s athletics department had received national recognition from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) for its outstanding showing in the Academic Progress Report. Earlier this week, the College honored its best of the best, when it awarded 49 student-athletes with the Provost Award at a special reception held in Kaplan Arena. The Provost Award is earned based on cumulative grade point average, with upperclassman needing a 3.50 GPA, or above, in their college career and freshmen needing a 3.75 GPA through their first semester.

The 49 athletes, representing 19 of W&M’s sports, were honored at the event sponsored by the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC). This is the third year the Provost Award has been presented. The program was initiated by the SAAC, which is a group of student representatives from each of W&M’s 23 intercollegiate teams. W&M Provost Geoffrey Feiss was the featured speaker at the reception and was the main presenter of the awards.

“I have enormous respect for the young women and men to whom these awards were made—and the size of the crowd of awardees was impressive beyond words,” said Feiss. “I can only imagine the discipline and commitment it takes to maintain a 3.5 GRP and perform at the highest competitive levels in their chosen sports. These athletes are truly role models for us all. I also know that they would not be successes without the equal commitment of their coaches to academic excellence ... This is true professionalism and dedication to the well-being of their athletes.”

“Our student-athletes work very hard to be the best that they can be in both the classroom and in competitions,” said W&M’s director of athletics Terry Driscoll. “I think the fact that the Provost Award is award to student-athletes, by student-athletes, makes it even more special. I applaud their initiative and desire to recognize their peers who have achieved excellence in the classroom and on the playing fields. Since the program’s inception in 2004, we have had approximately 50 student-athletes each year meet the difficult academic standard to earn this honor.”

Recently, Provost Feiss also served as the chairman of the Athletic Task Force, which assessed the role of the athletics department within the William and Mary community.

“In working over the past 18 months with faculty, coaches, students, alumni and staff of the ATF report and then seeing the athletes in person at the SAAC event—many with faculty members as guests—provides confirmation of what I have learned: W&M sets the green and gold standard for intercollegiate athletics,” Feiss continued. “We are not mouthing the words ‘student-athlete,’ we are living the far more audacious reality of scholar-athletes. It can be done; a world-class public university can field competitive teams made up of gifted, intelligent, motivated young people who will be successes in their profession and, as importantly, in their personal and civic lives.”

2005-06 William and Mary Provost Academic Award Recipients

Baseball (2)
Aaron Hurwitz
Jeff Lunardi

Men’s Basketball (1)
Adam Trumbower

Field Hockey (4)
Diana Esposito
Jessica Kacerek
JJ Kubicek
Mary Teeter

Football (2)
Corey Davis
Jordan Troester

Women’s Golf (1)
Maggie Johnson

Men’s Gymnastics (3)
Devin DeBacker
Aaron Ingram
James Prim

Women’s Gymnastics (1)
Christina Padilla

Lacrosse (1)
La Nolan

Men’s Soccer (2)
Jeff Marklin
Ryan Overdevest

Women’s Soccer (7)
Rianna Barrett
Katie Hogwood
Abby Lauer
Chrissy Papageorge
Anna Pawlow
Jenny Purser
Anna Young

Men’s Swimming & Diving (1)
Dan Byler

Women’s Swimming & Diving (3)
Morgan Adams
Laura Hodulik
Lindsay Young

Women’s Tennis (1)
Klaudyna Kasztelaniec

Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field (9)
Keith Bechtol
Mike Dominguez
Ollie Ehlinger
Danny Gordon
Nick Hecker-Thompson
Spencer Kirk
Christo Landry
Dave Mock
Eric Sandridge

Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field (11)
Meghan Bishop
Abby Booker
Nicole Bost
Ginna Ellis
Erin Gnass
Lauren Heron
Sarah McHale
Anna Parker
Karen Pulliam
Jen Showker
Julie Taylor