Lock Haven, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is pleased to announce its Fall 2008 Top 10 Award recipients today. 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 12th 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 athletic season: fall, winter and spring. The Fall 2008 Top 10 Award winners are Bryan Boyce of Mercyhurst, Chris Clark of California (Pa.), Trevor Harris of Edinboro, Ryan Nye of Kutztown and Jon Ochs of Bloomsburg on the men’s side, and Jen Blasko of Slippery Rock, Kelley Healey of Kutztown, Taylor Hilinski of Mercyhurst, Ashley Jones of Edinboro and Jamie Vanartsdalen of Bloomsburg on the women’s side. Blasko, Harris and Healey are repeat winners of the Fall Top 10 Award, with all three having been Top 10 award winners last year as well.
To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team. The fall sports eligible for consideration for the Fall Top 10 Awards are men’s and women’s soccer, football, field hockey, volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country. 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 Fall 2008 PSAC Top 10 Award winners:
PSAC Fall 2008 Top 10 Awards
Jen Blasko, Slippery Rock (Volleyball)
Bryan Boyce, Mercyhurst (Football)
Chris Clark, California (Cross Country)
Trevor Harris, Edinboro (Football)
Kelley Healey, Kutztown (Field Hockey)
Taylor Hilinski, Mercyhurst (Women’s Soccer)
Ashley Jones, Edinboro (Women’s Soccer)
Ryan Nye, Kutztown (Football)
Jon Ochs, Bloomsburg (Football)
Jamie Vanartsdalen, Bloomsburg (Field Hockey)
Jen Blasko, Slippery Rock
Volleyball, Senior
Summit Hill, Pa./Summit Hill
Major: Physical Therapy
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Blasko helped lead Slippery Rock volleyball to a 26-12 record this year and a fourth consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament, as well as a berth in the PSAC Tournament for the second time in her four years ... One of only three players in Rock history to play in the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons of collegiate eligibility ... She ranked ninth in the PSAC in kills (2.96 pg) and led the team in kills, digs (3.02 pg) and service aces (52) ... A 2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine first team Academic All-American and is a three-time ESPN The Magazine first team Academic All-District selection ... 2008 Daktronics Inc. first team All-Region and AVCA honorable mention All-Region selection ... Was a 20-07 first team All-Region selection ... A three-time second team All-PSAC West selection ... Is a three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete and has been admitted to Slippery Rock’s nationally renowned physical therapy doctoral program ... Also a PSAC Fall Top 10 selection last year.
Bryan Boyce, Mercyhurst
Football, Junior
Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard
Major: Biology
Cumulative GPA: 3.80
Boyce led Mercyhurst in tackles with 49 solo and 42 assisted, totaling 91 stops on the year for the 7-4 Lakers ... Named All-PSAC West first team ... Ranked sixth in the PSAC with 8.3 tackles per game ... Also ranked eighth in the PSAC and second on the team with 5.5 sacks ... Also was second on the team in tackles for loss with 10 ... Had four games with 10 or more tackles, including 13 tackles in back-to-back weeks ... Part of a defense that held opponents to 283 yards per game and ranked seventh nationally in pass defense, 20th in total defense and 16th in scoring defense ... Became the first Mercyhurst football student-athlete to be named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team and the first Laker to be named Academic All-AMerican since 1998 ... Missed the 2007 season due to injury but before that, was an All-GLIAC honorable mention selection in 2006 and was named to the GLIAC All-Academic team ... In ‘06, finished second on the team with 79 tackles, tying for 12th in the GLIAC with 7.9 pg and led the team with 112 TFLs.
Chris Clark, California (Pa.)
Men’s Cross Country, Graduate Student
Hadley, Pa./Commodore Perry
Major: Secondary Education (B.A.)/Wellness & Fitness (M.S.)
Cumulative GPA: 3.57 (undergrad)/4.00 (grad)
Earned All-American, USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Men’s Athlete of the Year and PSAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors in 2008 ... Placed fourth overall at the NCAA Championships, becoming Cal’s first men’s cross country All-American since 1983 and the fourth overall ... Won the NCAA Atlantic Regional championship with a course-record time and also set a course record in winning the individual title at the PSAC Championships ... Was named PSAC Athlete of the Week twice during the 2008 season ... Is a three-time All-American: two times in indoor track and once in cross country) ... Was an All-American in the 10,000 meters in 2007 and in the 5,000 meters in 2008 and also holds both school records in those events for indoor ... A member of the Dean’s List.
Trevor Harris, Edinboro
Football, Junior
Waldo, Ohio/Marion Pleasant
Major: Math
Cumulative GPA: 3.45
One of eight finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy for the second straight year ... Named the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year ... For the 2008 season, completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,780 yards with 26 TDs and only six interceptions and also ran for 226 yards and 4 TDs on 63 carries to finish with 3,006 yards and 30 TDs of total offense ... Led the PSAC and was 17th in the country in total offense ... Threw at least one TD pass in every game this year and overall, has a streak of 25 straight games with at least on TD ... Was also named the Daktronics Super Region One Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Fighting Scots to a 9-2 record, tying the record for wins in a season and helping Edinboro finish in the Top 25 of both the AFCA and D2football.com polls ... Twice was named the PSAC Offensive Player of the Week ... For his career, he is a two-time All-PSAC West first team selection and also was a second team All-PSAC West selection as a freshman ... Also holds every career and season passing record at Edinboro and every game, season and career passing and total offense record ... Was a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection in 2007 ... Also a PSAC Fall Top 10 selection last year.
Kelley Healey, Kutztown
Field Hockey, Senior
Toms Rivers, N.J./Toms River North
Major: Biology
Cumulative GPA: 3.81
Accumulated 30 points in the 2008 season, scoring nine goals, including three game-winners, and recording 12 assists ... Named All-PSAC East first team and NFHCA first team All-American ... Also was an All-PSAC first team selection in 2007 and a first team NFHCA All-American ... Also a two-time second team NFHCA All-American ... A 2007 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine At-Large second team Academic All-American ... A PSAC Fall Top 10 selection last year ... A three-time PSAC Scholar Athlete ... Finished her career as the career leader at Kutztown in assists with 39 and second in scoring with 161 points.
Taylor Hilinski, Mercyhurst
Women’s Soccer, Junior
Erie, Pa./Harborcreek
Major: Biology Education
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
Finished second on the team with 15 goals and 36 points for the 15-5-4 Lakers, who captured the PSAC Championship and NCAA Atlantic Region championship on their way to the NCAA quarterfinals ... A first team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in 2008 and an All-PSAC West second team selection and honorable mention All-Region pick ... Ranked fourth in the PSAC with 36 points and also was fourth in goals and game-winning goals (5) ... Named to the GLIAC All-Academic team in 2007 and ranked eighth in the GLIAC in goals and ninth in points while also ranking second on the team with 11 goals.
Ashley Jones, Edinboro
Women’s Soccer, Senior
Erie, Pa./Fairview
Major: Special Education/Elementary Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.96
Became Edinboro’s first four-time All-PSAC selection this year as she earned first team honors for the fourth straight year ... Named to the NSCAA Atlantic Region second team this year, becoming a three-time honoree on that squad ... Named a third team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, becoming the first ever Edinboro women’s soccer player to be honored with Academic All-American honors ... Also was named to the Academic All-District first team ... Started all 76 matches in her career at sweeper ... Helped the Fighting Scots to a school record 13 wins in 2007 ... Was the 2005 PSAC West Rookie of the Year.
Ryan Nye, Kutztown
Football, Senior
Bernville, Pa./Holy Name
Major: Elementary Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.69
Ranked 14th in the nation in punting average in 2008, averaging 41.2 yards per punt for the 5-6 Golden Bears ... Became the program’s first Academic All-American as he was named CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American first team ... A two-time All-PSAC East second team selection ... Also a 2007 Daktronics All-Region second team pick ... Ends his career as Kutztown’s all-time leading punter in punting average at 39.6 yards per punt and also finishes his KU career third in career punts (199) and punting yards (7,883).
Jon Ochs, Bloomsburg
Football, Graduate Student
Wind Gap, Pa./Nazareth
Major: Business Administration
Cumulative GPA: 3.89 (undergrad)/4.00 (graduate)
Led the PSAC in sacks this past season with eight and tied for first in total tackles for loss with 17.5 for the 11-2 Huskies ... Forced five fumbles and recovered another, helping lead the Huskies to the No. 1 seed in the region in the NCAA playoffs as well as the NCAA quarterfinals/Super Region One Final ... A first team All-PSAC East selection ... Named a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine first team Academic All-American in 2008 ... Also a Daktronics first team All-Region pick.
Jamie Vanartsdalen, Bloomsburg
Field Hockey, Senior
Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland
Major: Exercise Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.49
Scored an NCAA Division II-record 40 goals and recorded 22 assists for a total of 102 points for the 23-1 Huskies, helping lead them to their third straight national championship and becoming the first player in DII history to top the 100-point mark in a single season ... Also helped lead her team to the PSAC East and tournament championship ... Named the 2007 and 2008 Division II Player of the Year by the NFHCA ... A three-time first team All-American ... Named the PSAC East Player of the Year, earning the PSAC Player of the Year award for the second time in her career this past season ... Ends her career with an NCAA Division II record 120 goals and 298 points ... Also finishes ranked second all-time in NCAA DII history with 58 assists ... Her 120 goals ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history for all divisions while her 298 points rank fourth all-time ... Is a two-time PSAC and Bloomsburg University scholar-athlete.