Valparaiso's Diebler, Milwaukee's Hall Named U.S. Army Scholar-Athletes of the Week

Dec. 11, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS -

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Valparaiso University junior Jake Diebler (men's basketball) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee junior Ashley Hall (women's diving) have been named the U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Week, League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Tuesday (Dec. 11).

Diebler scored 17 points, recorded seven assists and tallied four steals to help the Crusaders sweep two Horizon League opponents on the road last week. At Wright State University on Thursday (Dec. 6), he contributed 12 points and grabbed five rebounds as Valpo snapped the Raiders' 14-game home winning streak with the 71-66 victory. Diebler then recorded four assists without a turnover at the University of Detroit-Mercy on Saturday (Dec. 8).

In the classroom, Diebler maintains a 3.56 grade-point average as a marketing major. He was named to the Mid-Continent Conference All-Academic team last year, and was also a member of the Mid-Con Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence. Valparaiso left the Mid-Con to join the Horizon League this past summer.

Hall earns the Scholar-Athlete award for the second-straight week, as she again dominated her competition. She swept both diving events in two dual meets last weekend against South Dakota State University on Friday (Dec. 7), and Valparaiso on Saturday, each day recording a zone-qualifying score on the three-meter board. Her efforts helped Milwaukee to victory in both meets, and she now has 12 victories in 16 attempts so far this season.

Academically, Hall boasts a perfect 4.0 grade-point average as a business major. She has been named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll, as well as the Dean's List at Milwaukee.

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:

Julian Betko, Butler (basketball, graduate, 3.626, business administration) hit a three-point field goal with 2:46 remaining to give Butler the lead for good against Detroit on Thursday (Dec. 6). He scored eight points and added two rebounds and a steal in the Bulldogs triumph over the Titans. In Butler's loss at Wright State on Saturday (Dec. 8), Betko led all scorers in the game with 14 points, a season-high total for Betko, and the second-highest point total in his Butler career.

Travis Mathers, Green Bay (swimming, sophomore, 3.574, biology) won the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.37) and the 200-yard backstroke (1:58.31) against League foe Valparaiso on Friday (Dec. 7), while also leading off the winning 400-yard medley relay. On Saturday, he led off the victorious 200-yard medley relay, earned second-place in the 100-yard freestyle, and third-place in the 400-yard individual medley against South Dakota State.

Aric Van Weelden, Loyola (basketball, sophomore, 3.54, undecided) posted a career-best five points and three rebounds in 25 minutes of play in an overtime victory against Milwaukee on Saturday. He hit a three-pointer with four minutes left in regulation to give Loyola a 48-46 lead. Van Weelden also grabbed a pair of boards and had a steal against Green Bay on Thursday.

Robby Leibold, Milwaukee (swimming, junior, 3.845, health sciences) won the 500- and 1000-yard freestyles against South Dakota State on Friday, and against Valparaiso on Saturday. He also swam the 200-yard butterfly at both duals, winning the event on Friday and taking second on Saturday. His efforts helped the Panthers to team victories in both meets. Leibold now has 16 wins and five runner-up finishes in 25 races this season.

OTHER FEMALE NOMINEES:

Kailey Klein, Cleveland State (basketball, sophomore, 3.52, undecided) helped lead CSU to a 60-49 victory at IUPUI on Wednesday (Dec. 5), finishing with 18 points, five assists, and four steals. She made 5-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc, and added 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Klein is currently tied for the Horizon League scoring lead with 19.0 points per game.

Kayla Groh, Green Bay (basketball, senior, 3.681, business administration) led the Phoenix with a game-high 19 points in a 68-56 victory over Kansas State on Wednesday. She currently leads the team in scoring (14.7 points per game), and leads the Horizon League with her .882 free throw percentage.

Elyse VanBogaert, Loyola (basketball, sophomore, 3.76, undecided) posted eight points, two rebounds and two blocks in Loyola's 80-56 loss to Bradley on Wednesday. She also tallied eight points and grabbed four boards in a 93-51 loss to #15 DePaul on Saturday. On the week, VanBogaert averaged eight points per game and three rebounds per game.

Agnieszka Kulaga, Valparaiso (basketball, junior, 3.75, international business) led the Crusaders to a 73-61 triumph over North Texas with a career-high 26 points. She added a career-best eight rebounds, and tied her career-high with five assists in the victory. During the game, Kulaga made five free throws, and has now made 21 of her last 23 from the line. She leads Valpo in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game on the season.

PREVIOUS U.S. ARMY SCHOLAR-ATHLETES:

Aug. 28Nina Inic (Butler, volleyball)
Sept. 5Ryan Miller (Green Bay, cross country); Liz Fazio (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Sept. 11Chris Honig (Valparaiso, cross country); Katarina Hanackova (UIC, volleyball)
Sept. 18Malcolm DeBaun (Loyola, soccer); Betty Slinger (Green Bay, volleyball)
Sept. 25Markian Zyga (Loyola, soccer); Sara Hughes (Valparaiso, volleyball)
Oct. 2Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Ani Michl (Valparaiso, soccer)
Oct. 9Zeke Dombrowski (Milwaukee, soccer); Lotte Rasmussen (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 16Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Amanda Stinson (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 23Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Alyse Serritella (Loyola, volleyball)
Oct. 30Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Genni Gardner (Butler, cross country)
Nov. 6Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Beth Steuer (Milwaukee, soccer)
Nov. 13Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Cynthia Morote-Ariza (Loyola, soccer)
Nov. 20Mike Schachtner (Green Bay, basketball); Mel Snyder (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Nov. 27AJ Graves (Butler, basketball); Kailey Klein (Cleveland State, basketball)
Dec. 4Drew Streicher (Butler, basketball); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)