Mansfield's Chris Cummings and Slippery Rock's Jennifer Hansen were named the 2007-08 Disney Wide World of Sports/Division II Conference Commissioners Association Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the Atlantic Region it was announced today.
Cummings and Hansen, the 2007-08 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Pete Nevins Scholar-Athletes of the Year, beat out representatives from the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association to win the regional award. (
PSAC Scholar-Athlete Release).
Southeast Region representative Anna Atkinson of Wingate University was crowned Women's National Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Michael Eubanks of Delta State University was the Men's selection out of the South Region.
A detailed release of the awards, including a listing of each regional winner, is listed below.
2007-08 REGIONAL & NATIONAL WINNERS NAMED FOR DIVISION II SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARDS
Disney’s Wide World of Sports and DII Conference Commissioners’ Association Co-Sponsor
Orlando, FL - The 2007-08 female and male Division II National Scholar-Athletes of the Year are Anna Atkinson of Wingate University and Michael Eubanks of Delta State University as named by the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners’ Association (DII CCA).
Atkinson recorded a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average as a junior biology major and led the Wingate University women’s basketball team to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Eubanks earned a 3.61 cumulative grade point average in biology and chemistry as one of the very top Division II football players in the country last year at Delta State University.
The DII CCA also announced the eight women’s and eight men’s 2007-08 Division II Regional Scholar-Athletes of the Year. On the women’s side are Atkinson (Wingate University); Erika Barczak (Wayne State (MI) University); Emily Brister (West Texas A & M University); Jennifer Hansen (Slippery Rock University); Danielle McCawley (University of Nebraska at Omaha); Mallory Poole (C.W. Post); Shyla Rider (Barry University); and Haley Schumers (Dixie State College of Utah).
The eight men’s regional winners for 2007-08 are: Eubanks (Delta State University); Tyler Cooper (West Texas A & M University); Chris Cummings (Mansfield University); Steve Dagostino (The College of Saint Rose); Garrett Fischer (Rockhurst University); Frank Leibfarth (University of South Dakota); Keith Lemay (Western Washington University); and Jason Sherrer (Mount Olive College).
These awards, sponsored by Disney Sports, provide the opportunity for Division II to highlight the extraordinary achievements of its student-athletes. DII CCA President and Commissioner of the Sunshine State Conference Mike Marcil said that the award winners are outstanding examples of the mission of NCAA Division II. “NCAA Division II emphasizes providing student-athletes growth opportunities through academic achievement, athletic competition and engagement with the community. All of these learning experiences have provided the scholar-athlete award winners with a path to graduation and successful lives ahead. We are grateful to Disney Sports for helping us to recognize the academic and athletic accomplishments of these exceptional Division II student-athletes.”
With a strong commitment to education and a long-standing relationship with Division II athletics, the involvement of Disney Sports with the Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards is a natural fit. “Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex has become a destination for top collegiate athletics, particularly at the Division II level,” said Fred Schoeler, Sports Account Manager for Disney Sports. “Having worked with the Division II Commissioners’ Association on the creation of Disney’s Division II Men’s and Women’s Tip Off Classic basketball tournaments, we are thrilled to continue our involvement with the Scholar-Athlete Awards, which honors the academic and athletic accomplishments of Division II’s top student-athletes.”
A native of Marion, NC, Anna Atkinson earned the South Atlantic Conference Female Athlete of the Year Award and the South Atlantic Conference Presidents’ Award, presented to the conference’s top female scholar-athlete. She is only the third person in conference history to win both of the league’s prestigious post-season awards. Atkinson was also the 2008 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year after leading the Bulldogs with 14.8 points per game and 8.4 assists per game. She was second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.27) third in assists and fifth in steals (3.7 per game). Atkinson also was named the MVP of both the Food Lion SAC Tournament and the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Tournament this past year. Atkinson is one of only three NCAA Division II student-athletes to earn All-American honors on the court and in the classroom during the 2007-08 season. She was named to the 2007-08 Daktronics Division II women’s basketball All-American third team and to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America women’s basketball first-team (college division).
A native of Cleveland, MS, Michael Eubanks was a 2007 Harlon Hill Trophy Top Three Finalist making him just the third defender ever to make the final three for that award. He was a unanimous 2007 All-American by the Associated Press, AFCA, D2Football.com, FB Gazette, and Daktronics. He was 2007 First Team All-Southeast Region and the 2007 Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Year and 2007 First Team All-GSC. His senior season, Eubanks posted 90 tackles (48 solos) and led the Gulf South Conference with 27 tackles for loss for 138 yards and 12 sacks for loss of 85 yards. Eubanks was the Charles S. Kerg Senior Athlete of the Year at Delta State University and won the American Football Foundation Eddie Robinson National Scholar-Athlete Award. He also was a National Finalist for the American Football Foundation Draddy Award (All Divisions). Eubanks was Academic All-Gulf South Conference, a GSC “Top Ten” honoree, winner of the 2007 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Scholar-Athlete Award and winner of the 2008 Gulf South Conference Commissioner’s Trophy.
This year’s Division II National Scholar-Athletes of the Year follow an impressive group of individuals who have won the awards previously. The 2006-07 Division II National Scholar-Athletes of the Year were Jamie Wolf of Clarion University and Mike Klobucher of Ferris State University. The 2005-06 winners were Kristin Anderson of the University of Central Missouri and Ryan Koch of St. Cloud State University. Heather Hamilton of the University of Minnesota Duluth and Aaron Graumann of Augustana (SD) College won the awards for 2004-05.
In 2003-04, Kate Hamera of the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology) and Nick Branting of the University of Nebraska at Kearney won the awards. Alice Duesing of Lake Superior State University and Matt Spector of Quincy University were named Division II’s top scholar-athletes for 2002-03. The 2001-02 winners were Jill Theeler of North Dakota State University and Douglas Hargett of the University of North Alabama. Emily Bloss of Emporia State University and Douglas Hargett of the University of North Alabama won the awards in 2000-01. Rachel Price of the University of North Alabama and Corte McGuffey of the University of Northern Colorado were named the first Division II National Scholar-Athletes of the Year in 1999-00.
Opened in 1997 at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is a leading sports and entertainment venue for amateur and professional sports in the United States. The sprawling 220-acre state-of-the-art complex features the Milk House, a 165,000-square-foot field house which seats 5,500 for basketball; the 9,500-seat Champion Stadium ballpark; the Hess Sports Fields, which include multiple baseball, softball and soccer fields; and the Jostens Center, an 80,000 square foot multi-sport field house. In addition, the complex has 11 tennis courts, including a stadium court, and a track and field complex. The complex is home to more than 180 amateur and professional sports and entertainment events each year, including the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, the Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves spring training, a Tampa Bay Rays regular-season series, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Chelsea Football Club events, the Special Olympics Florida Summer Games and the AAU National Championship events. Please visit www.disneysports.com for more information.
WOMEN'S REGIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
East Region
MALLORY POOLE
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
East Coast Conference
Senior, 3.64 GPA, Health & Physical Education
Corning, NY
Women’s Lacrosse
ECC Player of the Year,
IWLCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
Member of US Lacrosse Developmental Team
Atlantic Region
JENNIFER HANSEN
Slippery Rock University
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Junior, 4.0 GPA, Elementary Education
Charleston, WV
Women’s Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America,
PSAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
All-American honors finishing third at both the NCAA DII Indoor and Outdoor Championships
Southeast Region & WOMEN’S NATIONAL WINNER
ANNA ATKINSON
Wingate University
South Atlantic Conference
Junior, 4.00 GPA, Biology
Marion, NC
Women’s Basketball
SAC Female Athlete of the Year,
SAC Presidents’ Award,
Daktronics Division II All-American,
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America
South Region
SHYLA RIDER
Barry University
Sunshine State Conference
Junior, 3.96 GPA, Chemistry
Woodbridge, VA
Softball
SSC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District (first team),
NFCA Scholar-Athlete
Midwest Region
ERIKA BARCZAK
Wayne State (MI) University
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Senior/Grad, 3.97 GPA, Art
Williamston, MI
Women’s Swimming & Diving
First Team All-America placing fourth in NCAA DII one-meter diving board and sixth in three-meter diving board,
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team
GLIAC All-Academic Team
Central Region
DANIELLE McCAWLEY
University of Nebraska at Omaha
North Central Conference
Senior, 3.99 GPA, Mathematics
Ralston, NE
Women’s Soccer
NCC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
NCC Women’s Soccer MVP,
NSCAA/Adidas DII All-American,
Three-time All-NCC Academic Team
South Central Region
EMILY BRISTER
West Texas A & M University
Lone Star Conference
Junior, 3.88 GPA, Elementary Bilingual Education
Amarillo, TX
Women’s Basketball
Fred Jacoby Academic Athlete of the Year Award
Three-time LSC Female Athlete of the Year
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America
Daktronics Division II All-American
West Region
HALEY SCHUMERS
Dixie State College of Utah
Pacific West Conference
Junior, 3.96 GPA, Business Administration
Plain City, UT
Softball
PacWest Player of the Year
Pac West Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
All-PacWest Softball Team as pitcher and 3B
MEN'S REGIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
East Region
STEVE DAGOSTINO
The College of Saint Rose
Northeast-10 Conference
Senior, 3.88 GPA, Accounting
Schenectady, NY
Men’s Basketball
Two-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year,
Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Gold Honor Roll,
ESPN the Magazine /CoSIDA Academic honors
Midwest Region
GARRETT FISCHER
Rockhurst University
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Senior, 4.0 GPA, Business Administration/Economics
Collinsville, IL
Men’s Tennis
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient,
GLVC Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award,
GLVC Scholar- Athlete of Year in men’ s tennis,
Academic All-GLVC
Atlantic Region
CHRIS CUMMINGS
Mansfield University
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Graduate, 4.00 GPA, MS-Education (BS-Physics)
Mansfield, PA
Men’s Cross Country/Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
US Track & Field & CC Coaches DII Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award,
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient
PSAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
Division II All-American
Central Region
FRANK LEIBFARTH
University of South Dakota
North Central Conference
Senior, 3.94 GPA, Chemistry/Physics
Yankton, SD
Football
NCC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic
All-America,
Academic All-NCC,
Goldwater Scholar
Southeast Region
JASON SHERRER
Mount Olive College
Conference Carolinas
Senior/Grad, 3.82 GPA, Sports Management
Mesa, AZ
Baseball
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America,
ABCA All-American Second Team
Conference Carolinas Male Athlete of the Year
South Region & MEN’S NATIONAL WINNER
MICHAEL EUBANKS
Delta State University
Gulf South Conference
Senior, 3.61 GPA, Biology & Chemistry (Pre-Med)
Cleveland, MS
Football
Harlon Hill Trophy Top Three Finalist,
CoSIDA Academic All-America,
GSC Commissioner’s Trophy
American Football Foundation Eddie Robinson National
Scholar-Athlete,
GSC “Top Ten” honoree
South Central Region
TYLER COOPER
West Texas A & M University
Lone Star Conference
Senior, 4.00 GPA, Biology
Amarillo, TX
Men’s Basketball
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient,
Fred Jacoby Academic Athlete of the Year Award,
ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic honors
West Region
KEITH LEMAY
Western Washington University
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Senior, 3.69 GPA, Pre-Physical Therapy
Lynden, WA
Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
Division II All-American, CoSIDA Academic honors
GNAC Academic All-Star, USTFCCCA Nat’l Scholar