Samuel Hartman and Paige Mikesell earn Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honors
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- Seton Hill University track & field athlete Samuel Hartman and Indiana University of Pennsylvania women’s swimmer Paige Mikesell have been named the 2020-21 Pete Nevins Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the league announced Thursday afternoon.
The two honorees were selected by a vote of the league’s sports information directors.
Hartman is the first Seton Hill student-athlete to earn the Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete honor, while Mikesell is now the sixth student-athlete to earn the honor for IUP.
The Pete Nevins Scholar-Athletes of the Year are presented to the top student-athletes who have achieved at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average while competing at an outstanding athletic level. To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, a student-athlete must have been recognized as a fall, winter or spring PSAC Top 10 award winner in the same academic year.
Samuel Hartman
School: Seton Hill
Hometown: South Park, Pa.
Sport: Men’s Track & Field
Major: Computer Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.80
Hartman put together one of the best seasons in PSAC history in track & field and broke all sorts of Seton Hill records in the Hurdles in the process. He won not one, but two NCAA DII National Championships in the 110H and the 400H at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. He ran 13.88 to win the 110H and a 50.50 to win the 400H. Prior to the National Championships, Hartman was also the PSAC Champion in both events, and won the 2021 PSAC Track Athlete of the Year, the 2021 USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year and was named the 2021 PSAC Track Championships Most Outstanding Athlete.
Paige Mikesell
School: Indiana (Pa.)
Hometown: Clearfield, Pa.
Sport: Women’s Swimming
Major: Health and Physical Education
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
Mikesell was a National champion in the 200 freestyle (1:48.36) smashing an IUP Record. She was also an NCAA DII All-American in seven events and broke five IUP records at the NCAA Championships in March. She finished second in two events at NCAAs – 100 fly and 200 fly and her other All-American finishes were 12th in 100 free, eighth in 200 free relay, 10th in 400 free relay, 11th in 200 medley relay scoring 71 points. She led the team to 13th place finish – best for IUP since 2000. Mikesell was later named PSAC Women’s Swimming Athlete of the Year, PSAC Most Outstanding Women’s Swimmer at conference championship meet for second straight year and led IUP to first conference title since 1999. She totaled 176 points and won all seven events she competed in at the PSAC meet, including 100 fly, 200 fly, 100 free, 200 IM, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay, and 800 free relay. She was named IUP Women’s Athlete of the Year and IUP Student-Athlete of the Month for March.
The PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards are now in their 31st year of existence. In 2007, the awards were renamed to honor East Stroudsburg's long-time sports information director, Pete Nevins, who passed away earlier that year. Nevins held his position at East Stroudsburg for 33 years, and it is estimated that he wrote articles on more than 12,000 East Stroudsburg events that covered more than 5,000 student-athletes.
ABOUT THE PSAC
Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg University, California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst University, Millersville University, The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University.