PSAC Announces Spring Top 10 Honorees
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Lock Haven, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athlete Conference is pleased to announce its Spring 2015 Top 10 Award recipients, chosen by the league's sports information directors. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are designed to recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition.
Initiated in the 1997-98 academic year, the Top 10 Award is given to five males and five females in each athletic season: fall, winter, and spring. The spring 2015 award winners are
Sabrina Anderson of Slippery Rock,
Jon Klein of Mercyhurst,
Megan Lundy of Shippensburg,
Tyler Melius of Slippery Rock,
Ben Nolan of Mercyhurst,
Matt Peters of California,
David Reinhardt of Slippery Rock,
Mallory Sanner of Seton Hill,
Tanya Timko of IUP, and
Alex Zanella of California.
Anderson, Melius, and Zanella were all also named to the Top 10 team in the winter for indoor track and field; they are being recognized on this team for their performance in outdoor track and field.
Reinhardt and Timko are each making a second appearance on the team, as they were both honored on the spring 2014 team, as well.
Listed below are the biographies for the Spring 2015 PSAC Top 10 Award winners:
Sabrina Anderson, Slippery Rock University
Women’s Track & Field – Sophomore
Major: Exercise Science/Physical Therapy
Cumulative GPA: 3.965
A first team selection for Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District and a second team selection for Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American, Anderson also appeared on the Winter Top 10 list. She earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the high jump and the heptathlon after earning a top five mark in the region in each event. She set a school record for her performance at the PSAC Indoor Championships in the heptathlon. She is a PSAC Scholar-Athlete and has been a member of the Dean’s List every semester at Slippery Rock.
Jon Klein, Mercyhurst University
Baseball – Senior
Major: Accounting/Finance
Cumulative GPA: 3.722
Klein had an 8-3 record this year, as a starting pitcher, with a 2.24 ERA. He allowed just 51 hits in 68.1 innings pitched and limited opponents to a .207 batting average. He struck out 85 batters and walked only 17. His 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings ranked in the top 25 in the country. Klein helped lead the Lakers to the program’s first-ever Atlantic Regional Championship and a trip to the College World Series. He was named a Capital One/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American in addition to being Capital One/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District. He was named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, earned multiple first team all-region selections, was an NCBWA Honorable Mention All-American, and was a semifinalist for the Brett Tomko Award, honoring the nation’s best pitcher.
Megan Lundy, Shippensburg University
Women’s Track & Field – Junior
Major: Early Childhood Education (Coaching Minor)
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
Lundy is a two-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American, earning a spot on the second team in both 2013-14 and 2014-15. She anchored the 4x400-meter relay team that won the PSAC Championship and finished in second place at the PSAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400 meters. All told, after three years, Lundy has won eight PSAC titles between indoors and outdoors. She is a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree, a Board of Governors Scholarship honoree, and is an active member of the Shippensburg Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Tyler Melius, Slippery Rock University
Men’s Track & Field – Senior
Major: Safety Management (Spanish Minor)
Cumulative GPA: 3.822
Melius is making his second appearance on the PSAC Top 10 list this year, also receiving recognition in the winter. He was named first team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District. He has been a PSAC Scholar-Athlete every year in addition to appearing on the Dean’s List every semester. His performance in the 1,500-meter run earned him USTFCCCA All-Region honors in addition to being named All-PSAC. During indoor season, Melius was the PSAC champion in the mile (4:14) and the anchor leg of the PSAC champion distance medley relay team.
Ben Nolan, Mercyhurst University
Baseball – Junior
Major: Accounting/Finance
Cumulative GPA: 3.868
Nolan was 7-0 this year with an ERA of 2.50, limiting opponents to a .235 batting average and helping lead the Lakers to the program’s first-ever Atlantic Regional Championship and trip to the College World Series. He was named All-PSAC West First Team, NCBWA Second Team All-Region, Daktronics Second Team All-Region, and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-Region. Nolan was named a Capital One/CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American this season and has been named the PSAC Champion Scholar for baseball in both 2014 and 2015.
Matt Peters, California University of Pennsylvania
Baseball – Senior
Major: Liberal Studies
Cumulative GPA: 3.60
Peters ranked sixth in the country this season, batting .446, which is the second-best mark in school history. He led the Vulcans with 16 doubles, 16 steals, and a .505 on-base percentage. He had a hitting streak of 23 games, which was the longest streak in a decade at California. He was a Capital One/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American this year and is a two-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. Peters was a first team selection for ABCA/Daktronics All-Region and is a two-time member of the All-PSAC West First Team. He graduates from California as the program’s all-time hits leading, garnering 224 hits in 190 career games.
David Reinhardt, Slippery Rock University
Men’s Track & Field – Junior
Major: Exercise Science/Physical Therapy
Cumulative GPA: 3.685
Reinhardt earned Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team honors for the second year in a row. He is also making his second straight appearance on the PSAC Spring Top 10 list. He earned points in all three throwing events at the PSAC Championships this spring, claiming All-PSAC honors in both the hammer and the javelin. Reinhardt was also the 2014 National Champion in the javelin. He has earned all-region and All-PSAC honors every year on campus, in addition to being named a USTFCCCA All-Academic every year, a PSAC Scholar-Athlete every year, and making the Dean’s List every semester. Reinhardt also received the SRU Council of Trustees commendation for academic and athletic excellence.
Mallory Sanner, Seton Hill University
Women’s Track and Field – Senior
Major: Elementary Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.79
Sanner finished third at the NCAA Championships in the javelin with a PSAC record throw of 51.41 meters (169’), which is also the 11
th best throw in Division II history. She earned her fourth straight All-American honor this year. She finished fifth in the nation as a freshman, was national champion as a sophomore, seventh as a junior, and third as a senior. At the PSAC Championships, she had a throw of 50.2 meters (165’), which earned her a first place finish and was a meet record. She was the 2015 PSAC Field Athlete of the Year, the 2015 USTFCCCA Atlantic Regional Field Athlete of the Year, and is a two-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team selection.
Tanya Timko, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Women’s Tennis – Senior
Major: Psychology
Cumulative GPA: 3.975
The PSAC West Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Year is making her second straight appearance on the PSAC Spring Top 10. She was also named the ITA Senior of the Year this season and was All-PSAC West in both singles and doubles. She was ranked 41
st in all of Division II by the ITA. She was also the 2015 PSAC Women’s Tennis Champion Scholar, also winning the award in 2014. She is a two-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic First Team All-American. Timko leaves IUP as the career record for wins in singles (86) and doubles (103).
Alex Zanella, California University of Pennsylvania
Women’s Track and Field – Junior
Major: Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.96
Zanella captured the league titles in both the 800-meter run and the 1500-meter run at the PSAC Championships, posting NCAA provisional marks in each of those two events. She helped led California to the highest finish in program history at the PSAC Championships, finishing fourth. She was named the Most Valuable Athlete and the Most Outstanding Track Athlete at the PSAC Championships. Zanella was named USTFCCCA All-Region in both the 800 and the 1500. This year, she was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team. She holds three schools records and is an eight-time USTFCCCA All-Region honoree. She is named to PSAC Top 10 for the second time this year, also being honored in the winter.
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 spring sports eligible for consideration for the Spring Top 10 Awards are men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s golf, baseball, softball, and lacrosse.
At the conclusion of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from each season are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate.