Grantham, PA – Messiah College Athletics announced this week the finalists for the 2014-15 Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. Six total student-athletes were selected as finalists, with a male and female winner scheduled to be selected at the end of the 2015 spring season.
As in past years, nominees are collected from head coaches across each the fall, winter, and spring seasons. 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 year no men's nominee was identified from the fall season, giving an opportunity for two nominees to be selected from the spring.
The six finalists are listed below, with a brief snapshot of their accomplishments.
Men's FinalistsMichael Brookhart - Men's Tennis (Spring) - Brookhart carries a 3.83 GPA as a marketing major. He has been the team's No. 1 singles and doubles player since 2011 when he was named the conference Rookie of the Year. He has received First Team honors in each of his three seasons. Brookhart is also the senior class vice president on EYAS, the student alumni council.
Zac Hoy - Men's Basketball (Winter) - Hoy carries a 3.67 GPA as a dual sport management and marketing major. Last season he started a career-high 23 games and led the Falcons with a 35.2 minutes per game average. Among his impressive statistics was a career-best 43.4% shooting from three-point range and a team-leading 96 assists.
Trevor Stutzman - Men's Track & Field (Spring) - Stutzman carries a 3.66 GPA as a nutrition and dietitics major. He is a two-time All-American in the shot put-- once each in Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field-- and last year collected a CoSIDA Academic All-American honor.
Women's FinalistsMadi Brunk - Women's Lacrosse (Spring) - Brunk carries a 3.86 GPA as an engineering major. Last season she led the team in assists (40) and fell just short of breaking the single-season assist record (42). She was second on the team in total points with 67. Brunk is also a National Merit Finalist.
Lauren Clune - Women's Swimming (Winter) - Clune carries a 3.94 GPA as a health and exercise science major. She is regarded as one of the top distance swimmers in the conference and in her career has collected 10 All-MAC performances, nine in relay events.
Becky Ely - Field Hockey (Fall) - Ely carries a 3.77 GPA as a mathematics major with a teaching certification. She was just named the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for field hockey and is a two-time All-Region and three-time All-Commonwealth performer.
The finalists will be officially recognized at the Messiah College Athletics Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015. At the conclusion of the spring season, the male and female Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be selected.
