University of Minnesota Athletics
Big Ten Conference Honors 49 Gophers as Distinguished Scholars
7/10/2013 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
July 10, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS - Forty-nine student-athletes from the University of Minnesota have been honored by the Big Ten Conference with Distinguished Scholar Awards, conference officials announced on Wednesday.
Minnesota featured 16 programs with at least one Distinguished Scholar Award winner for the 2012-13 academic year. Women's track and field/cross country paced the Gophers athletic department with 15 honorees.
Additionally, Minnesota featured seven student-athletes with 4.0 grade point averages for the year in Troy Larson (baseball), Heather Brunn (women's cross country), Kathryn Ritter (women's cross country), Nathan Fortunato (men's gymnastics), Erica Meyer (softball), Jessica Plant (women's swimming and diving) and Amy Kumbat (women's track and field).
In February of 2008, Big Ten Faculty Representatives established a conference academic recognition to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Similar to the Academic All-Big Ten honor, Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must be letterwinners in at least their second academic year at their institution. However, the Distinguished Scholar Award encompasses only student-athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, excluding summer school. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student-athlete's academic career.
2012-13 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award Winners
Troy Larson, Baseball
Maggie Bollig, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Heather Brunn, Women's Cross Country
Kate Bucknam, Women's Cross Country
Ashlie Decker, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Rachel Drake, Women's Cross Country
Becca Dyson, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Molly Kayfes, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Cassy Opitz, Women's Cross Country
Jamie Piepenburg, Women's Cross Country
Kathryn Ritter, Women's Cross Country
Alex Bisch, Football
Chris Hawthorne, Football
Jackie Shepherd, Women's Golf
Nathan Fortunato, Men's Gymnastics
Jack Metcalf, Men's Gymnastics
Spencer Smith, Men's Gymnastics
Jannell Campbell, Women's Gymnastics
Shannon Golich, Women's Gymnastics
Hannah Brandt, Women's Ice Hockey
Bethany Brausen, Women's Ice Hockey
Lee Stecklein, Women's Ice Hockey
Sarah Sobek, Women's Rowing
Katherine Windsor, Women's Rowing
Bree Blanchette, Softball
Kelsey Klucas, Softball
Erica Meyer, Softball
Sara Moulton, Softball
Kaitlyn Richardson, Softball
CJ Smith, Men's Swimming & Diving
Derek Toomey, Men's Swimming & Diving
Lauren Greenberg, Women's Swimming & Diving
Kiera Janzen, Women's Swimming & Diving
Jessica Plant, Women's Swimming & Diving
Tori Simenec, Women's Swimming & Diving
Mathieu Froment, Men's Tennis
Eric Frueh, Men's Tennis
Jack Hamburg, Men's Tennis
Yuliana Umanets, Women's Tennis
Jake Malm, Men's Track & Field
Quentin Mege, Men's Track & Field
Alex Beckman, Women's Track & Field
Caitlyn Dongoske, Women's Track & Field
Briana Jones, Women's Track & Field
Amy Kubat, Women's Track & Field
Katie Murgic, Women's Track & Field
Todea-Kay Willis, Women's Track & Field
Tom Giaimo, Wrestling
Kevin Steinhaus, Wrestling
Players Mentioned
