Carnegie Mellon has 15 Athletes Named to the UAA Presidents Scholar-Athlete Team

(ROCHESTER, N.Y.) - Carnegie Mellon University had 15 student-athletes named to the University Athletic Association (UAA) Presidents Scholar-Athlete Team, as announced be the league’s office on Tuesday, August 1. Four football athletes, two men’s soccer and two women’s tennis, along with a member of men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, women’ soccer, men’s track and field women’s track and field and volleyball from Carnegie Mellon received the prestigious honor along with 99 other student-athletes representing all eight UAA member institutions.  

To achieve this recognition, a student-athlete must earn first-team All-UAA honors and must carry a 3.50 or greater cumulative grade-point average during the playing season. Out of this year’s 99 honorees, 13 were named the most outstanding performer or most valuable player in their sport by their respective UAA coaches’ group, five won NCAA Division III individual national championships and/or were named national Player of the Year, and seven were awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. This select group of scholar-athletes represents approximately 44% of the eligible All-Association first team honorees for 2016-17.

The UAA Presidents Council created this special recognition in 2009.  The original recommendation to establish this honor came from the UAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was supported by the Athletic Administrators and Delegates Committees.
The UAA has recognized exceptional academic achievement by its student-athletes since 1998 when the Presidents Council established a program of All-Academic Recognition for student-athletes who carry a cumulative grade point average that meets the threshold for Academic All-America® recognition (currently a 3.30 GPA).  On average, approximately 56% of eligible sophomore, junior, and senior student-athletes from UAA member teams have met that threshold each year.  

“While our student-athletes appreciated the All-Academic recognition, they sought something that would more directly recognize the combination of academic and athletic excellence that is at the core of the UAA philosophy,” commented UAA Executive Secretary Dick Rasmussen. “In proposing the concept of the award, one of our SAAC members suggested — ‘as UAA student-athletes this is what we do, this is who we are.’”

As a group, UAA student-athletes and teams have consistently demonstrated high levels of both academic and athletic achievement.  The UAA Presidents Council Scholar-Athlete Team recognition demonstrates the success of these principles at the level of the individual student-athlete.

Biennial studies completed by the Association over the last 16 years have consistently shown the cumulative grade point averages of athletic teams have been statistically equal to the campus population GPA. In the most recent study, covering the 2014-15 academic year, UAA female student athletes had an overall combined average cumulative GPA of 3.42, while UAA male student-athletes had an overall combined average cumulative GPA of 3.30.  Of the 68 women’s teams and 70 men’s teams included in the study, 88 teams (64 percent) met or exceeded the existing 3.30 GPA standard for nominating individuals for Academic All-America® recognition.

The full list of Carnegie Mellon student-athletes that were honored is listed below.

Haili Adams – JR – Women’s Soccer
Sam Benger – JR – Football
Jack Fagan – SR – Football
Andreas Fatschel – SR – Men’s Soccer
Zack Masciopinto – SO – Men’s Soccer
Lisa Murphy – SR – Women’s Basketball
Luke Nealley – SR – Football
Emily Newton – SR – Volleyball
George Qian – SR – Men’s Golf
Jack Serbin – SR – Men’s Basketball
Cori Sidell – JR – Women’s Tennis
Nicholle Torress – SR – Women’s Tennis
W. Tyler Reid – SR – Football
Curtis Watro – SR – Men’s Track & Field
Grace Yee – SR – Women’s Track & Field