Butler's Julian Betko, Valparaiso's Launa Hochstetler named U.S. Army Scholar-Athletes of the Week

March 4, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -

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Butler University senior Julian Betko (men's basketball) and Valparaiso University junior Launa Hochstetler (women's basketball) have been named the U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Week, League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Tuesday (March 4).

Betko led Butler to a 66-61 victory over Wright State University on Thursday (Feb. 28) with a team-high 17 points, helping the Bulldogs clinch an outright Horizon League regular season title. He hit a career-high five three-point field goals in the game, and scored all 17 of his points in 14 minutes of play during the first half.

Betko, a graduate student, carries a 3.6 grade-point average as he earns credit toward his master's degree in business administration. He received his bachelor's degree in marketing and maintained a 3.6 GPA in undergraduate work as well. He has twice been named to the First-Team Academic All-League Team, and has been on the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll and the Butler Athletic Director's Honor Roll three consecutive seasons.

Hochstetler averaged 10.0 points and 6.5 assists per game in two Crusader victories last week, including a 13-point, eight-assist effort on Saturday (Mar. 1) against Youngstown State University. She was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line, and added 5.5 rebounds per game, with seven boards coming in a 66-52 win over Cleveland State University.

Academically, Hochstetler maintains a 3.74 grade-point average as an accounting and finance major. She was named to the Mid-Continent Conference All-Academic Team twice, and was named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll last fall. Hochstetler has also been a recipient of the Presidential Student-Athlete Award at Valpo, and she received recognition on the Mid-Con Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence.

The Horizon League instituted the U.S. Army Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards as a way to recognize outstanding academic and athletic achievement by its student-athletes. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better (on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution and passed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours, and perform well during the week's competition. Winners are selected by a group of League faculty athletic representatives, from nominations provided by sports information directors.

OTHER MALE NOMINEES:

Josh Geric, Cleveland State (baseball, senior, 3.30, health sciences) batted .455 (5-for-11) in a three-game set over the weekend, totaling two runs, two RBIs, a double and a home run. In Friday's (Feb. 29) series opener, Geric went 2-for-3 with a run scored and came back to go 2-for-4 with his second homer in Saturday's (Mar. 1) contest. He is now batting a team-best .389 (7-for-18) this season.

Cliff Cook, Loyola (track & field, senior, 3.24, economics) placed second in the 800-meter run at the Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships with a personal-best time of 1:52.82.

Adam Schleis, Milwaukee (track & field, junior, 3.360, history) helped the Panthers to their fifth-straight Horizon League indoor track and field championship last weekend, repeating as long jump champion with a leap of 21 feet, 10 1/4 inches. He also successfully defended his 60-meter hurdles title with a time of 8.29 seconds, which tied for the fourth-best time in school history.

Chris Honig, Valparaiso (track & field, senior, 3.64, history) ran the fastest mile by a Crusader male in 30 years at the Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships, crossing the finish line in second place with a mark of 4:14.72. It was the second-fastest time in Valpo history. Honig also contributed a sixth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run (8:48.89).

OTHER FEMALE NOMINEES:

Christa Coppus, Cleveland State (softball, junior, 3.210, management and labor relations) batted .667 (8-for-12) last week as the Vikings went 1-2 at the Eastern Kentucky Invitational. She added two runs and drove in six in three contests over the weekend, including a 4-for-5 effort with four RBIs in a win over Appalachian State on Saturday. She is now hitting .364 for the season.

Ellen Kresl, Loyola (softball, sophomore, 3.67, accounting) batted .714 (10-for-14) with three runs and four stolen bases in four games at the Worth Invitational last week. She recorded her first career four-hit game, going 4-for-4 with a RBI and a stolen base in a 4-3 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. She also went 3-for-3 with three runs and three steals against Pac-10 powerhouse Oregon State.

Laura Ring, Milwaukee (track & field, sophomore, 3.739, psychology) helped the Panthers to a runner-up finish at the Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships last weekend. She won League titles in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:13.89, which is the third-best time in school history, and as part of the 4x400-meter relay team. She was also an All-League Second Team honoree in the distance medley relay.

PREVIOUS U.S. ARMY SCHOLAR-ATHLETES:

Aug. 28,Nina Inic (Butler, volleyball)
Sept. 5,Ryan Miller (Green Bay, cross country); Liz Fazio (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Sept. 11,Chris Honig (Valparaiso, cross country); Katarina Hanackova (UIC, volleyball)
Sept. 18,Malcolm DeBaun (Loyola, soccer); Betty Slinger (Green Bay, volleyball)
Sept. 25,Markian Zyga (Loyola, soccer); Sara Hughes (Valparaiso, volleyball)
Oct. 2,Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Ani Michl (Valparaiso, soccer)
Oct. 9,Zeke Dombrowski (Milwaukee, soccer); Lotte Rasmussen (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 16,Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Amanda Stinson (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 23,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Alyse Serritella (Loyola, volleyball)
Oct. 30,Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Genni Gardner (Butler, cross country)
Nov. 6,Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Beth Steuer (Milwaukee, soccer)
Nov. 13,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Cynthia Morote-Ariza (Loyola, soccer)
Nov. 20,Mike Schachtner (Green Bay, basketball); Mel Snyder (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Nov. 27,AJ Graves (Butler, basketball); Kailey Klein (Cleveland State, basketball)
Dec. 4,Drew Streicher (Butler, basketball); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Dec. 11, Jake Diebler (Valparaiso, basketball); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Dec. 18,Samuel Haanpää (Valparaiso, basketball); Leah Hochstetler (Valparaiso, basketball)
Jan. 8,Ryan Tillema (Green Bay, basketball); Kayla Groh (Green Bay, basketball)
Jan. 15,Mike Schachtner (Green Bay, basketball); Kari Helland (Green Bay, diving)
Jan. 22,Steve Bartholomew (Valparaiso, Indoor Track & Field), Kelsey Hausken (Green Bay, swimming)
Jan. 29,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Jessica Weidert (Wright State, swimming)
Feb. 5,Jeremy Waldhart (Milwaukee, swimming); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Feb. 12,Phil Orno (Cleveland State, tennis); Kat Krause (Loyola, softball)
Feb. 19,A.J. Graves (Butler, basketball); Elise VanBogaert (Loyola, basketball)
Feb. 26,Adam Schleis (Milwaukee, baseball); Jessica Weidert (Wright State, swimming)