Marshall University Athletics
Four Marshall Athletes Receive C-USA Scholar Athlete Awards
7/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | General
July 19, 2016 IRVING, Texas -- Chase Boster, Ally Kiekover, Alexandra Phares and Morgan Zerkle have been named recipients of the 2015-16 Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year awards for their respective sports, C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod announced Tuesday.
The C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year awards are presented to the top student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport, determined by a votes of the league's 14 Faculty Athletics Representatives. The award is based on academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service.
Marshall led the league with four Scholar Athlete award-winners. Boster earned the honor for baseball, Kiekover for volleyball, Phares for women's cross country and Zerkle for softball. Boster, Kiekover and Zerkle are first-time recipients, while Phares has received the award twice.
Boster was a four-year starter for the Thundering Herd baseball team, finishing his career as the all-time winningest pitcher in school history with 20 victories. The Stafford, Va., native was a four-time member of the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and was selected to the 2015 C-USA All-Academic team. He graduated with a 3.381 GPA as a chemistry major and held a 3.41 GPA this past year. Boster earned All-Conference USA first team honors in 2016, as he went 8-3 with a 3.39 ERA and 85 strikeouts. He held an impressive 6-1 record in C-USA games. Boster was named to the Conference USA All-Tournament team after pitching 12.1 innings with a 2.19 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
Kiekover, a rising senior, is a three-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native posted an impressive 4.0 GPA this past year as a biological sciences major and was named to the C-USA All-Academic team. Kiekover was named to the All-Conference USA first team after recording 329 kills and 76 blocks in 121 sets. She had the second-best hitting percentage in a single season in Marshall history with .402. She led Conference USA in hitting percentage with .416. Kiekover was named a C-USA Spirit of Service Honoree in December for her community service efforts.
Phares is the first Marshall student-athlete to win the C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year award twice. The Morgantown, W.Va., native previously won the award during the 2013-14 year for women's track and field. She is a four-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll. She held a 4.0 GPA this past year. Her best outing for the cross country team this season was at the Cross Country National Invite, where she finished ninth and her best time of 19:09.7. In track and field, Phares won two events, winning the 5,000-m run at both the Marshall Indoor Invitational (17:56.87) and at the North Florida Spring Break Invitational (17:52.87). She qualified for four C-USA Championship events, finishing top-20 in three of the four.
Zerkle, a rising senior, holds a 3.68 cumulative GPA as a clinical exercise physiology major and is a three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. The Milton, W.Va., native was selected as an All-Conference USA first team member despite missing 22 games due to an ankle injury as a junior. During the 2016 season, she became fastest player in Herd history to reach 100 career stolen bases and 200 career hits. She hit over .400 for the second time in her career and dropped down the bunt single that scored the game-winning run over UTSA in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. She is a member of the USA Women's National Elite Team.
Scholar-athletes were selected from C-USA's full-time and affiliate institutions in 19 sports (combining indoor and outdoor track & field). Please see below for the complete list:
2015-16 Conference USA Scholar Athlete Award Winners:
Baseball: Chase Boster, Marshall, and Brett Lashley, Florida Atlantic
Men's Basketball: Nick Norton, UAB
Women's Basketball: Kendall Noble, WKU
Men's Cross Country: Bryce McAndrew, North Texas
Women's Cross Country: Alexandra Phares, Marshall
Football: Lee McNeil, Charlotte
Men's Golf: Cory Churchman, North Texas
Women's Golf: Ellinor Haag, WKU
Men's Soccer: Jeffrey Torda, South Carolina #
Women's Soccer: Claire Emslie, Florida Atlantic
Softball: Morgan Zerkle, Marshall
Women's Swimming & Diving: Mackenzie Payment, Old Dominion
Men's Tennis: Jordi Massalle Ferrer, Charlotte
Women's Tennis: Katherine Ip, Rice
Men's Track and Field: Connor Bey, North Texas
Women's Track and Field: Belle MacFarlane, Rice*
Volleyball: Ally Kiekover, Marshall
* Repeat winner
# Affiliate member
The C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year awards are presented to the top student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport, determined by a votes of the league's 14 Faculty Athletics Representatives. The award is based on academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service.
Marshall led the league with four Scholar Athlete award-winners. Boster earned the honor for baseball, Kiekover for volleyball, Phares for women's cross country and Zerkle for softball. Boster, Kiekover and Zerkle are first-time recipients, while Phares has received the award twice.
Boster was a four-year starter for the Thundering Herd baseball team, finishing his career as the all-time winningest pitcher in school history with 20 victories. The Stafford, Va., native was a four-time member of the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and was selected to the 2015 C-USA All-Academic team. He graduated with a 3.381 GPA as a chemistry major and held a 3.41 GPA this past year. Boster earned All-Conference USA first team honors in 2016, as he went 8-3 with a 3.39 ERA and 85 strikeouts. He held an impressive 6-1 record in C-USA games. Boster was named to the Conference USA All-Tournament team after pitching 12.1 innings with a 2.19 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
Kiekover, a rising senior, is a three-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native posted an impressive 4.0 GPA this past year as a biological sciences major and was named to the C-USA All-Academic team. Kiekover was named to the All-Conference USA first team after recording 329 kills and 76 blocks in 121 sets. She had the second-best hitting percentage in a single season in Marshall history with .402. She led Conference USA in hitting percentage with .416. Kiekover was named a C-USA Spirit of Service Honoree in December for her community service efforts.
Phares is the first Marshall student-athlete to win the C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year award twice. The Morgantown, W.Va., native previously won the award during the 2013-14 year for women's track and field. She is a four-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll. She held a 4.0 GPA this past year. Her best outing for the cross country team this season was at the Cross Country National Invite, where she finished ninth and her best time of 19:09.7. In track and field, Phares won two events, winning the 5,000-m run at both the Marshall Indoor Invitational (17:56.87) and at the North Florida Spring Break Invitational (17:52.87). She qualified for four C-USA Championship events, finishing top-20 in three of the four.
Zerkle, a rising senior, holds a 3.68 cumulative GPA as a clinical exercise physiology major and is a three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. The Milton, W.Va., native was selected as an All-Conference USA first team member despite missing 22 games due to an ankle injury as a junior. During the 2016 season, she became fastest player in Herd history to reach 100 career stolen bases and 200 career hits. She hit over .400 for the second time in her career and dropped down the bunt single that scored the game-winning run over UTSA in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. She is a member of the USA Women's National Elite Team.
Scholar-athletes were selected from C-USA's full-time and affiliate institutions in 19 sports (combining indoor and outdoor track & field). Please see below for the complete list:
2015-16 Conference USA Scholar Athlete Award Winners:
Baseball: Chase Boster, Marshall, and Brett Lashley, Florida Atlantic
Men's Basketball: Nick Norton, UAB
Women's Basketball: Kendall Noble, WKU
Men's Cross Country: Bryce McAndrew, North Texas
Women's Cross Country: Alexandra Phares, Marshall
Football: Lee McNeil, Charlotte
Men's Golf: Cory Churchman, North Texas
Women's Golf: Ellinor Haag, WKU
Men's Soccer: Jeffrey Torda, South Carolina #
Women's Soccer: Claire Emslie, Florida Atlantic
Softball: Morgan Zerkle, Marshall
Women's Swimming & Diving: Mackenzie Payment, Old Dominion
Men's Tennis: Jordi Massalle Ferrer, Charlotte
Women's Tennis: Katherine Ip, Rice
Men's Track and Field: Connor Bey, North Texas
Women's Track and Field: Belle MacFarlane, Rice*
Volleyball: Ally Kiekover, Marshall
* Repeat winner
# Affiliate member
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