Tar Heels Applaud Success At Scholar-Athlete Awards
April 29, 2015 | Baseball, Field Hockey, Football, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Track & Field, Swimming & Diving, Academics
The highlight of the afternoon was recognition of the Top 10 Scholar-Athletes, the five senior men and five senior women with the highest cumulative grade point averages.
Those honored for 2014-15 were: Kristin Aloi (gymnastics), Alex Bales (football), Jonathan Campbell (men's soccer), Acacia Cosentino (gymnastics), Lauren Lazor (women's track and field), Benton Moss (baseball), Robert Register (men's golf), Loren Shealy (field hockey), Sarah Thompson (women's soccer) and Reeves Zaytoun (men's golf).
Aloi, who has already completed her undergraduate degree and is enrolled at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, was unable to attend due to an academic commitment, but the other nine took the stage one by one to receive a trophy and say a few words. Each introduced a professor who was his or her invited guest for the luncheon then offered advice to the younger student-athletes in the room and shared lessons learned at Carolina.
Bales, a business/mathematical decision sciences double major, invited Sue Goodman, a professor in the Department of Mathematics. In addition to thanking Goodman, he spoke of a time he considered transferring from UNC and the outstanding advice he'd received from Kenan-Flagler Business School's Anna Millar, who told him “Your education is the best investment you'll ever make.”
Campbell, a business major who is minoring in Spanish, encouraged his fellow student-athletes not to take their time at UNC for granted. His invited professor was Kenan-Flagler's Chip Snively, who attended for the second year and was extended invitations by four of this year's Top 10 Scholar-Athletes.
Cosentino, an English and philosophy double major, spoke of the lasting connections she'd made at UNC and urged all of the Tar Heels in attendance to strive to do the same. She invited philosophy professor James Lesher as her guest.
Lazor, a biology major, spoke of her decision to transfer to UNC before her sophomore year, moving far from her family but finding a community in Chapel Hill. Her invited professor was Gidi Shemer from the Biology Department.
Moss, a business administration/economics double major, told of the benefits he has received from faculty interactions at UNC, saying “great teachers don't just teach, they inspire.” He introduced Snively and fellow Kenan-Flagler professor Patrick Vernon as some of those who have inspired him.
Register, a business administration major who also invited Snively, urged fellow student-athletes to take advantage of the support available to them and also to enjoy their time at UNC while keeping in mind how quickly it will go by.
Shealy, a business administration major, told the student-athletes they shouldn't be afraid to push themselves beyond what they think possible. She spoke of the semester she spent at Duke as part of her Robertson Scholars program. As the first UNC student-athlete to participate in the program, she lived at Duke during the second semester of her sophomore year and found it challenging to juggle her classes with frequent travel to UNC for team responsibilities. However, she worked hard and was able to earn a 4.0 that semester.
Thompson is working toward a double major in philosophy and American studies with concentration in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. She invited philosophy professor Douglas MacLean and also thanked three other professors: Dan Cobb, Malinda Maynor Lowery and Keith Richotte, all in history and American Studies. She spoke of coming to UNC, long her dream school, from San Francisco and how she is grateful for the “breadth and depth of experiences I've enjoyed at Carolina.”
Zaytoun is a business major and invited Jessica Christian, a Kenan-Flagler lecturer who specializes in Organizational Behavior. After speaking of Christian's enthusiastic approach to teaching, he encouraged the audience to follow her example and approach each day with enthusiasm.
Following Zaytoun, Cunningham wrapped up the event, highlighting some of the themes of the Top 10 Scholar-Athletes and suggesting that all of those in attendance keep a copy of the program as a souvenir of the hard work that earned them an invitation.
All of the student-athletes invited to the luncheon were Tar Heel Scholar-Athletes (GPA of 3.2 or better in Spring 2014 and Fall 2014) and/or earned an academic award during that time period.
Among those honored were members of the 4.0 Club, those with perfect grades in one of the past two semesters. Sophomore swimmer Abby Fisher and senior cross country runner Julie Swaim achieved 4.0 GPAs in both of those semesters. Those who did so in one semester or the other were:
Spring 2014: Kacie Albert (Women's Fencing); Kristin Aloi (Gymnastics); Ezra Baeli-Wang (Men's Fencing); Anne Bennett Osteen (Women's Golf); Jonathan Blake (Men's Fencing); Mattie Blue (Women's Cross Country); Christian Caveness (Men's Swimming & Diving); Acacia Cosentino (Gymnastics); Abby Fisher (Women's Swimming & Diving); Danielle Jansen (Women's Swimming & Diving); Lauren Lazor (Women's Track & Field); Julie Swaim (Women's Cross Country)
Fall 2014: Emma Astrike-Davis (Women's Cross Country); Jake Bernstein (Men's Fencing); Ben Creekmore (Men's Swimming & Diving); Abby Fisher (Women's Swimming & Diving); Lexi Harkins (Women's Golf); Christina Kresser (Rowing); Allie Martin (Rowing); David October (Men's Soccer); Robert Register (Men's Golf); Christoph Ruenz (Men's Fencing); Sasha Seymore (Men's Basketball); Julie Swaim (Women's Cross Country); Sarah Thompson (Women's Soccer); Mary Thurman (Rowing)
“We're so happy to recognize and applaud the academic success of our student-athletes,” said Michelle Brown, Assistant Provost and Director of the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes. “The highlight of the event was to hear from the student-athletes who shared how important their invited faculty guests have been to their UNC experience in not only the sharing of knowledge but also by challenging, guiding, and supporting them. They shared their gratitude for the difference they made in their lives. ”
The luncheon is organized by the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes and the UNC Athletics Scholarships and Awards Committee.
Players Mentioned
