Lock Haven, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is pleased to announce its Winter 2010-11 Top 10 Award recipients. The PSAC Top 10 Awards, which are selected by the PSAC’s sports information directors, recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in the area of competition. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are in their 14th season of existence, having been initiated in the 1997-98 academic year.
The Top 10 Awards recognize 10 outstanding student-athletes, five male and five female, for each of the three athletic seasons: fall, winter and spring. The Winter 2010-11 Top 10 Award winners are Bryan Beegle of Shippensburg, Sharif Bray of Cheyney, Luis Leao of Mercyhurst, Joe Rocco of IUP and Chris Warning of Slippery Rock on the men’s side, and Jackie Hynson of IUP, Melissa McQuade of Kutztown, Kristen Montello of West Chester, Kayla Shull of Clarion and Neely Spence of Shippensburg on the women’s side. Montello and Spence are both repeat winners of the Winter Top 10 awards, with both having also been honored as Winter Top 10 recipients last year. Spence picked up her third career Top 10 award and second of this academic year, having also been honored this past fall as a member of Shippensburg’s cross country team. Additionally, two other Top 10 honorees were also previously named Capital One Academic All-Americans® by the College Sports Information Director of America (CoSIDA) as Bray of Cheyney and McQuade of Kutztown both earned AAA honors for the first time in their careers.
To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team. The winter sports eligible for consideration for the Winter Top 10 Awards are men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track & field and wrestling. At the end of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from the entire academic year are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate at the end of the academic year.
Listed below are biographies for the Winter 2010-11 PSAC Top 10 Award winners:
PSAC Winter 2010-11 Top 10 Awards
Bryan Beegle, Shippensburg (Men’s Indoor Track & Field)
Sharif Bray, Cheyney (Men’s Basketball)
Jackie Hynson, IUP (Women’s Swimming)
Luis Leao, Mercyhurst (Men’s Basketball)
Melissa McQuade, Kutztown (Women’s Basketball)
Kristen Montello, West Chester (Women’s Swimming)
Joe Rocco, IUP (Men’s Basketball)
Kayla Shull, Clarion (Women’s Swimming)
Neely Spence, Shippensburg (Women’s Indoor Track & Field)
Chris Warning, Slippery Rock (Men’s Indoor Track & Field)
Bryan Beegle, Shippensburg
Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Senior
Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg
Major: Criminal Justice
Cumulative GPA: 3.786
2011 Indoor National Champion in the DMR (served as anchor leg)…Inherited the baton in fourth place and ran courageous 1,600-meter leg to win SU its first-ever relay title, either indoors or outdoors…Earned first-ever individual All-American award with second place in the 5K…2011 PSAC Indoor Champion in the DMR…All-PSAC in mile and 3K with second-place finishes…Earned All-Region honors in mile and 5K with a NCAA provisional mark at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational that got him to nationals…Broke SU’s 1K record at Bucknell Heptagonal…2009-10 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Second Team…2-time selection to the USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic Track and Field Team…2008-09 Shippensburg University Men’s Student Athlete of the Year…5-time NCAA indoor provisional qualifier…2-time NCAA outdoor provisional qualifier…4-time PSAC champion…2009 PSAC Indoor Meet MVP…12-time PSAC place winner…9-time All-PSAC award winner.
Sharif Bray, Cheyney
Men’s Basketball, Senior
Philadelphia, Pa./Central
Major: Recreation & Leisure Management
Cumulative GPA: 3.70
Led PSAC in scoring 21.6 per game…Led PSAC in Free Throw Percentage .893 (175-196) including a streak of 53 consecutive to end his career…Three time PSAC East Player of the Week…Ranked 15th in PSAC in steals (1.5/game), 10th in 3 PT percentage (.382….66-173), 5th in 3 PT made (2.4), 11th in assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and 2nd in minutes played (35.4)…Cheyney’s top scorer 18 times…Tallied double figures in all but one contest…1st Team Capital One Academic All-American…1st Team All-Region (Daktronics & NABC)…1st Team All-PSAC East…2010: 1St Team All-PSAC East…PSAC Scholar Athlete…Athletic Directors Honor Roll…Athletic Directors Association D II Scholar Athlete…PSAC RECORD BOOK: Ranks 2nd in Season Free Throw Percentage (.893….175-196)…Ranks 19th in scoring 1,920…Ranks 6th in Career Free Throws Made (515)…Ranks 12th in Career Free Throws Attempted (615).
Jackie Hynson, IUP
Women’s Swimming, Junior
King George, Va./King George
Major: Speech Pathology
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Finished third at the NCAA meet and broke all-time PSAC records in the 200 butterfly (2:00.85) and the 200 backstroke (1:59.45)…Also finished sixth in the 400 IM and 13th in the 200 IM…Scored 49 points at nationals to help IUP finish 19th in the team standings…Won PSAC titles in the 400 IM (4:25.77), 200 back (2:01.09) and 200 fly (2:02.92)…Broke conference meet record in the 200 back…Member of relay teams that placed third (800 free), fourth (400 medley) and fifth (400 free)… Named PSAC Swimmer of the Year in 2010-11…Five-time All-American and one-time honorable mention, finishing third at the NCAA meet four times including twice each in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke and sixth in the 400 IM as well as 13th in the 200 IM…One of only three swimmers not from Clarion or West Chester to hold a PSAC all-time record…Member of the Robert E. Cook Honors College and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society…Transferred from Oakland University where she was on the 2008-09 Summit League All-Academic team as a freshman.
Luis Leao, Mercyhurst
Men’s Basketball, Sophomore
Brusque, Brazil/Winchendon School (Mass.)
Major: Biology
Cumulative GPA: 3.88
2011 Capital One Academic All-District First Team…2011 PSAC West First Team…Two-time PSAC West Athlete of the Week…Finished second on the team in scoring (17.5 ppg – 6th, PSAC) and first in rebounding (8.3 rpg - 7th, PSAC)…Led the Lakers in scoring on nine occasions while posting team-bests in rebounding on 18 occasions…Other PSAC ranks included 10th in free-throw percentage (80.2); 11th in blocks (29); 13th in field-goal percentage (52.9)…Named PSAC West Athlete of the Week on Jan. 24 and Feb. 7…Suffered knee injury in regular-season finale at IUP on Feb. 26…Scored in double-figures in all but two of his 26 games played…Posted a career-high 31 points against Edinboro (Feb. 2)…Had personal-bests of 15 rebounds on two occasions (at ESU, Jan. 4 and at Edinboro, Feb. 23)…Career-high four blocks against Davis & Elkins (Dec. 11)…Recorded nine double-doubles on the season, the most for a Laker since 1999-2000…Made 16-of-18 free throws against Clarion, setting the single-game record for made free throws and tying the attempts mark…Had +20 points in five games, including two games with 30 or more points… posted 10 games with a field-goal percentage over 60.0…Dominant inside force that also shoots from long-range, draining 23-of-53 3-pointers (43.4 percent)…That figure was third on the team…Had a 3-pointer in 16 of 26 games.
Melissa McQuade, Kutztown
Women’s Basketball, Senior
Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler
Major: Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.97
McQuade led Kutztown in scoring (16.9 points per game), rebounding (9.0 rebounds per game), steals (60, 2.2 per game), assists (105, 3.9), and blocked shots (19, 0.7) during the season…She was also among the conference leaders in several statistical categories…McQuade was fifth in the PSAC in scoring, fifth in rebounding, 11th in field goal percentage (.456), 10th in assists, fifth in free-throw percentage (.846), 10th in steals, second in 3-point shooting percentage (.442), 14th in 3-pointers made per game (1.7) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5)…This season, McQuade led Kutztown in scoring 14 times. She recorded seven double-doubles and hit for 20 or more points six times…McQuade tied her career-high by scoring 30 points in games against Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg… She was named to the Capital One Academic All-America second team and All-District II first team…A three-time PSAC East first team selection, McQuade was named the Lehigh Valley Small College Coaches' Organization Player of the Year…McQuade finished her spectacular career as Kutztown's all-time leading scorer (1,623 points) and rebounder (971) in program history…In addition to leading the Golden Bears in scoring and rebounding, McQuade is third on the all-time 3-point list with 155, fourth on the all-time steals list with 207, and fifth on the all-time assist list with 347…McQuade recorded 30 career double-doubles, scored in double figures 83 times, and helped the Golden Bears win 65 games during her career.
Kristen Montello, West Chester
Women’s Swimming, Senior
Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg
Major: Communicative Disorders
Cumulative GPA: 3.98
Helped West Chester to its fifth consecutive PSAC team title and a eighth-place showing at NCAA Championships…PSAC individual champion in the 1000-yard freestyle…PSAC runner-up in the 500 free…Helped the 800 free relay team place second overall at PSACs…Also helped 400 free relay place fourth at conference championships…Earned three individual honorable mention All-America certificates at NCAA DII Swimming & Diving Championships…Earned two All-America plaudits as member of a relay team…400 medley relay placed fourth nationally…800 free relay placed seventh nationally…She placed 10th nationally in 1000 free…Placed 11th nationally in 200 free…Placed 13th nationally in 500 free…2010 PSAC Winter Top 10 award winner…2010 CoSIDA Academic All-America®…WCU academic honor roll all seven semesters…PSAC honor roll recipient each of last three seasons…D2 Athletic Director’s Association academic honor roll each of past three seasons.
Joe Rocco, IUP
Men’s Basketball, Senior
Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria
Major: Biology/Pre-Med
Cumulative GPA: 3.96
Played in 30 of 32 games with two starts. Scored 39 points and grabbed 38 rebounds, made 18 steals and dished out 13 assists…Received NCAA Elite 88 Award in March 2010 as the most outstanding student-athlete among the teams that qualified for the Elite 8…Plans on attending medical school to study infectious diseases and immunology…Has presented research at several undergraduate scholar forums and was the recipient of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists Undergraduate Grant and the Cynthia Sushak Undergraduate Biology Fund for Excellence Grant…Served as vice president of the American Medical Student Association…Did a 180-hour internship at Altoona Hospital…Active in community service activities, including biology tutoring, Make-A-Wish Foundation, United Way and Reading Days in local elementary schools.
Kayla Shull, Clarion
Women’s Swimming, Sophomore
Franklin, Pa./Rocky Grove
Major: Science Disorders (Speech Pathology)
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
A six-time NCAA D-II All-American and five-time PSAC Champion in 2011…At D-II Nationals Kayla set a Clarion record in placing 5th in the 100 back (55.94), was 12th in the 100 free and was on four relays that finished 5th, 6th, 6th and 8th…Clarion was 4th as a team at D-II Nationals and also placed second as a team at the PSAC’s…Shull was the PSAC Champ in the 100 back, 4th in the 200 back and 7th in the 50 free…She was part of four PSAC Championship relays…2010 PSAC Freshman of the Year - She won the 100 yard back at PSAC’s with a time of 56.64, shattering the record held for 25 years by Jeanne O'Connor and more recently by Lori Leitzinger at 57.97…She placed third in the 200 backstroke at PSAC's with a time of 2:05.25, and was sixth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.32…She also was part of the winning 200 medley relay (1:45.06), the second place 400 free relay and the 4th place 200 free relay…At 2010 D-II Nationals in Canton, Ohio in March, Shull again swam fast…She placed third at nationals in the 100 backstroke with a new Clarion record time of 56.27, and was part of four All-America relays…She was on the fifth place 200 medley relay, the sixth place 400 free relay, the eighth place 400 medley relay and the 10th place 200 free relay.
Neely Spence, Shippensburg
Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Junior
Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg
Major: Human Communication Studies
Cumulative GPA: 3.844
2011 Indoor National Champion in the DMR (served as anchor leg)…2011 Indoor All-American with second place in the 5K…2011 USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year…2011 PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year…2011 PSAC Indoor Champion in the DMR…2011 PSAC Indoor Champion in the mile…2011 PSAC Indoor Champion in the 3K…Temporarily posted a world season-best 5K time of 16:01.39 in February at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational that improved her own PSAC record in the event by 12 seconds and was six seconds faster than the NCAA Division I automatic qualifying standard…Selected to the Bowerman award watch list in February…Posted NCAA provisional qualifier in mile…Only loss was her second-place finish in the 5K at the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships…Has now won all 10 races in her career at PSAC indoor championships…Organized the R.U.N. club to promote fitness and wellness among students at the Grace B. Luhrs Elementary School located on the Shippensburg University campus…Advised the “Thrive Africa” fund-raiser to aid a humanitarian effort in South Africa…Has been named an Athlete of the Year in all eight of her competitive seasons to date at Shippensburg…Spoke at the NCAA convention with president Mark Emmert…2010 NCAA Division II Women's Sportsmanship Award winner…2009-10 ESPN/CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American…2009-10 PSAC Winter Top Ten Award Winner…2010-11 PSAC Fall Top Ten Award Winner…2-Time USTFCCCA All-Academic Team member…Nominated for 2010-11 Honda Division II Athlete of the Year award…Selected to speak at 2011 NCAA National Convention in San Antonio, representing Division II student athletes…Named PSAC Athlete of the Year after all eight of her collegiate seasons to date (cross country [3], indoor track [3], outdoor track [2])… 2009 USA Track & Field Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
Chris Warning, Slippery Rock
Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Senior
Monroeville, Pa./Gateway
Major: Criminal Justice
Cumulative GPA: 3.64
Named 2010-11 PSAC Male Field Athlete of the Year…Named Most Outstanding Field Event Athlete at the PSAC Indoor Championships…Claimed individual title in the weight throw with a throw of 18.49 meters (over a foot better than second place)…Broke Slippery Rock school record on three separate occasions earlier in the season, topping off with NCAA provisional qualifying throw of 18.67 meters…Also placed second in the shot put at PSAC meet with toss of 15.44 meters, a career best…Earned first team All-PSAC and All-Region honors from the USTFCCCA…PSAC Champion in Weight Throw: 18.49 meters…SRU School Record in Weight: 18.67 meters…PSAC Runner Up in Shot Put: 15.44 meters…Had breakout performance this winter after placing no higher than fifth in the weight throw at previous PSAC indoor meets…Currently leads the nation in the outdoor hammer throw and ranks third in the nation in the discus…Member of the Dean’s List in every semester…PSAC Scholar-Athlete…USTFCCCA All-Academic…Named to Academic All-District honors by CoSIDA for 2009-10 academic year…Holds indoor school record in weight throw and outdoor school record in hammer throw.