Nine Wolves earn GNAC Scholar Athlete awards

Student with 3.85 GPA or higher honored by conference

Athletics | 7/27/2015 4:50:00 PM

GNAC ALL-TIME F.A.R. SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD WINNERS

PORTLAND – Nine female and one male student-athlete from Western Oregon Athletics received Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award for their excellence in the classroom and on the various fields of play during the 2014-15 academic year, as announced by the conference Monday. A total of 156 students, 106 women and 50 men, from the 10 conference member institutions earned the honor.

JoEllen DeLeon, recent graduate from the WOU soccer team, was the school's lone four-time repeat award winner with a 3.95 grade-point average in Communication Studies. Three student-athletes earned recognition for a second time – Brooke Steinberg from soccer, Rachel Crawford from track/cross-country and Annie Wade from track/cross country. Garnering scholar-athlete recognition for the first time are soccer's Jessica De La Melena, Danielle Payne & Machaela Rapozo and women's basketball guard Jordan Mottershaw.

For the Western Oregon men, freshman Brady Miller posted a 3.89 average in his business studies to be the lone male representative for the Wolves.

Presented annually to the most outstanding scholar-athletes at each of the GNAC's insitutions, the award honors student-athletes who have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.85 or better. All student-athletes, including redshirts, listed on any GNAC squad list, regardless of whether the sport is a GNAC championship sport, are eligible for the award.

Thirty of this year's recipients (13 men and 17 women) attending U.S. colleges have perfect 4.00 GPAs, including WOU's Steinberg. In addition seven, Simon Fraser athletes (three men and four women) have GPAs of 4.00 or better in the Canadian system, which awards 4.33 points for an A-plus.

The faculty athletic representative (FAR) is a member of the faculty at an NCAA member institution who has been designated to serve as a liaison between the institution's faculty and the athletic department. The FAR serves as a representative of the institution in conference and NCAA affairs.

The role of the FAR is "to ensure that the academic institution establishes and maintains the appropriate balance between academics and intercollegiate athletics." At Western Oregon, the athletic department is represented by Dr. Dean Braa, head of the sociology department, and Kathy Farrell, instructor in health and exercise science.

MEN
Brady Miller (Baseball, Business, Fr., 3.86, Gilbert, Ariz.)

WOMEN
Rachel Crawford* (Track and Field/Cross Country, Gerontology, Jr., 3.93, Oregon City, Ore.)
Jessica De La Melena (Soccer, Education, Fr., 3.89, Vancouver, Wash.)
JoEllen DeLeon*** (Soccer, Communication Studies, Sr., 3.95, Gresham, Ore.)
Jordan Mottershaw (Basketball. Communication Studies, So., 3.89, San Marcos, Calif.)
Danielle Payne (Soccer, Psychology, Jr., 3.92, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Machaela Rapozo (Soccer, Business, So., 3.90, Lihue, Hawaii)
Brooke Steinberg* (Soccer, Psychology, Sr., 4.00, Bellingham, Wash.)
Annie Wade* (Track and Field/Cross Country, Interdisiplinary Studies, Sr., 3.99, Condon, Ore.)

* Two-time selection
** Three-time selection
*** Four-time selection

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Players Mentioned

#11 Jordan Mottershaw: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore; 1V

#10 JoEllen DeLeon: MF; 5' 2"; Senior; 3V

#4 Machaela Rapozo: MF/F; 5' 2"; Sophomore; 1V

#RS Brooke Steinberg: D; 5' 9"; Senior; 1V

#6 Jessica De La Melena: MF; 5' 1"; Freshman; HS

Rachel Crawford: Distance; Sophomore

Annie Wade: Distance; Senior

#36 Brady Miller: RHP; 6' 2"; Freshman; R-R

Players Mentioned

#11 Jordan Mottershaw
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; 1V
: G

#10 JoEllen DeLeon
: 5' 2"; Senior; 3V
: MF

#4 Machaela Rapozo
: 5' 2"; Sophomore; 1V
: MF/F

#RS Brooke Steinberg
: 5' 9"; Senior; 1V
: D

#6 Jessica De La Melena
: 5' 1"; Freshman; HS
: MF

Rachel Crawford
: Sophomore
: Distance

Annie Wade
: Senior
: Distance

#36 Brady Miller
: 6' 2"; Freshman; R-R
: RHP