PSAC Names
Winter Top Ten
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has
named a group of outstanding student-athletes as the league’s
Winter Top Ten Awards winners.
The Top
Ten Awards, selected by the PSAC’s sports information
directors, recognize student-athletes who distinguish
themselves in the classroom, as well as in the arena of
competition. The conference designates Top Ten Award winners
after each of the sports seasons: fall, winter and spring.
To be a
candidate for the Top Ten 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. Only student-athletes from the winter sports
season are eligible for the Winter Top Ten Awards. Those
sports are: wrestling, men’s and women’s basketball, men's and
women's swimming, and men’s and women’s indoor track & field.
At the
end of the academic year, the league announces the
Scholar-Athlete Awards, which recognize student-athletes on
all PSAC squads with 3.25 cumulative GPAs or better.
Additionally, the PSAC names the top Male and Female
Scholar-Athlete of Year.
Following
is a biographical sketches of the WCU PSAC’s 2005-06 Winter
Top Ten recipient:
Tammy Leane
Senior, West Chester
Women's Swimming (Goodwood, South Australia)... Leane
holds a 4.00 GPA as a psychology major. One of the top
performances in league history, she won four NCAA individual
titles at this year's championships. She successfully
defended her titles in the 400 IM and 500 free and added wins
in the 1,000 free and 200 back. At the PSAC Championships she
won individual crowns in the 200 back, and the 200 and 400
IM. She was also part of winning squads in the 400 medley,
and the 400 and 800 free relays. In her two seasons at West
Chester, Leane won the league's Athlete of the Year twice and
was a 12-time All-American. (top)
WCU Student is Second in the Nation/Team Excels
Laura
Mikowychok made history when West Chester University
forensics team traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire for the National Forensic Association Championships
held on April 14-17, 2006. Mikowychok, a junior English
literature major from Downingtown, placed second in the
nation in Informative Speaking. Her achievement represents
West Chester University’s best individual finish ever at
this national championship. Mikowychok finished a whisper
away from first place in the final round. She tied eventual
national champion, Kyle Schultz from Illinois State
University, on total ranking and rating points across the
five judges’ ballots. The tie had to be broken on judge’s
preference—three of five judges ranked Schultz higher than
Schultz, while the other two gave the higher ranks to
Mikowychok. Her informative speech is on Shakespeare’s
influence on the English language as we speak it today.
On the
basis of strong preliminary round performances across all
events by Mikowychok and the rest of the team, West Chester
University finished fifteenth overall with its highest point
total in a decade and ahead of schools like Clemson
University, Cornell University, Indiana University,
University of Mississippi, Ohio University, University of
Pennsylvania and Northwestern University. The team’s goal
is to continue moving closer to the top ten in the nation.
This coming weekend, Lauren Willey, junior
Honors psychology major, will be one of two students
representing Pennsylvania in the Interstate Oratorical
Contest at the University of West Florida.
For more information on the team contact Mark
Hickman, Director of Forensics at
mhickman@wcupa.edu.
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