Grantham, PA – Messiah College Athletics announced this week the finalists for the 2013-14 Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. Six total student-athletes—one male and one female from each the fall, winter, and spring athletic seasons—were selected as finalists, with a male and female winner scheduled to be selected at the end of the 2014 spring season.
 
The six finalists are the following: for the fall season, Joshua Wood of men's soccer and Alicia Frey of women's soccer; for the winter season, Daniel Wingert of men's swimming and Taylor Miller of women's basketball; and for the spring season, Mitch McClure of baseball and Erin Ipsen of women's tennis.
 
The finalists were selected from a pool of nominations put forth by the Messiah head coaches. Nominees were mandated to have earned at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) while proving to be outstanding performers in their sport.
 
"This group of student-athletes represents well the strong balance of athletic and academic excellence here at Messiah College," Messiah Director of Athletics Jack Cole said. "We're always proud of our student-athletes' efforts both on and off the fields of play, and we're excited to celebrate these outstanding finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award."
 
On the men's side, Joshua Wood carries a 3.71 GPA as a Cross Cultural Christian Ministries major. He was recently named a Capital One First Team Academic All-American after earning National Player of the Year honors for men's soccer.
 
Daniel Wingert carries a 3.94 GPA as a Molecular Biology major. He earned a Capital One Academic All-District honor last season and should compete for at least one top-finish in the MAC Swimming Championships later this season. Wingert was also recently accepted into medical school and is planning to pursue a doctoral career.
 
Mitch McClure is the men's representative from the spring season. He holds a 3.71 GPA as a film and media arts major and was named Honorable Mention All-Commonwealth last season. He finished the 2012 campaign with a 1.66 earned run average in 21.2 innings of pitching relief.
 
For the women, Alicia Frey carries a 3.73 GPA as a Mathematics and Secondary Education major. Like Wood she was named a Capital One Academic All-American this season after completing an impressive career on the soccer pitch. Among her accolades, Frey was named the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's soccer.
 
Taylor Miller is the women's representative from the winter. She holds a 3.81 GPA in Education with a Pre-K-4 certification. She has been an All-Commonwealth performer and is close to passing the 1,000-point mark of her career.
 
Women's tennis player Erin Ipsen rounds out the group with a 3.69 GPA. An English major, Ipsen has been the Falcons' number one player in singles and doubles for the past three seasons.
 
The finalists will be officially recognized at the Messiah College Athletics Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 10. At the conclusion of the spring season, the male and female Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be selected.

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