Valparaiso's Stohs, Milwaukee's Nearman Honored as Scholar-Athletes of the Week

April 8, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -

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Valparaiso University sophomore Chris Stohs (men's track & field) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior Holly Nearman (women's track & field) have been named the U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Week, League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Tuesday (April 8).

Stohs posted two top-ten finishes in the throwing events at the DePauw Invitational on Saturday (Apr. 5). He placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 133 feet, seven inches, which was good for a personal best. He also placed tenth in the hammer throw with a toss of 134 feet, two inches.Academically, Stohs maintains a 3.779 grade-point average as a history major. Last fall, he was named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll, and was honored on the Mid-Continent Conference's All-Academic Team as a freshman.

Nearman won her section of the 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational, posting a personal-best time of 17:06.61, and shaving almost 25 seconds off of her previous best time. The mark is the fourth-best in Panther history.

As a journalism major, Nearman carries a grade-point average of 3.702. She has been named to the Academic All-League teams in both indoor and outdoor track, and cross country, and has also been recognized on the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll.

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:

Kyle Cobb, Cleveland State (golf, sophomore, 3.490, accounting) tied for 56th place at the IU Hoosier Open last week with a 36-hole total of 154 (78-76). He then came back to tie for 12th place at the Irish Spring Invitational on Saturday (Apr. 5) shooting rounds of 75-69 (144). His 69 in the second round was his second lowest round of the season and tied for the second lowest score of the day. Cobb is third on the team in scoring average this season (75.3).

Ryan Byrne, Detroit (track and field, senior, 3.789, MBA) was the Titans' top finisher at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational, finishing fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54:51.

Mark Goldin, Green Bay (tennis, senior, 3.524, business administration) paired with Tim Prudlow at No. 1 doubles for a 2-0 record last week. He rallied for a three-set win at No. 2 singles on Saturday in a key 5-2 Horizon League victory over Valparaiso. Goldin is now on a three-match winning streak at both No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles.

Sean Bidzinski, Loyola (golf, junior, 3.92, finance) finished tied for 48th place with a 54-hole score of 240 (78-79-83) at the Beu/Mussatto Invitational last weekend. He owns a 78.0 scoring average in ten rounds this season.

Justin Parker, Wright State (baseball, junior, 3.440, organizational leadership) led the Raiders to a 4-1 record last week, including a series victory at Cleveland State. He boasted a .550 batting average (11-for-20) and a .591 on-base percentage in five starts last week. He also drove in three runs and scored four, while recording three doubles and one home run on the week. Currently, Parker rides an 11-game hitting streak.

OTHER FEMALE NOMINEES:

Christa Coppus, Cleveland State (softball, junior, 3.210, management and labor relations) batted .437 (7-for-16) as the Vikings went 3-2 during the week. She started the week by going a combined 3-for-7 in a doubleheader split with Robert Morris on Wednesday (Apr. 2), including a 2-for-3 effort in the first game. Coppus also helped the Vikings take two of three games from Butler, as she had an RBI, a double, and a stolen base during the series. She now leads the team with a .403 batting average to go along with 13 runs, eight doubles, two homers, and 17 RBIs.

Beata Gorzynska, Detroit (track and field, junior, 3.356, education) took 11th place in her collegiate debut in the steeplechase at the Nikoloff Invitational last weekend, posting a time of 12:43.57, the eighth-best time for a Titan in history.

Ellen Kresl, Loyola (softball, sophomore, 3.67, accounting) batted .455 (5-for-11) last week to raise her season average to a team-best .403. She had a hit in a 9-1 loss at No. 15 Northwestern on Thursday (Apr. 3) and then went 3-for-3 with a pair of steals in the first game of a doubleheader against Valparaiso on Saturday.

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,A.J. 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)
Mar. 4,Julian Betko (Butler, basketball); Launa Hochstetler (Valparaiso, basketball)
Mar. 11,Aaron Merrill (Youngstown State, outdoor track & field); Andrea Zappia (Valparaiso, softball)
Mar. 18, Andy Hetebrueg (Milwaukee, baseball); Kim Sajevic (Valparaiso, tennis)
Mar. 25,A.J. Graves (Butler, basketball); Nora Schober (Loyola, softball)
Apr. 1,Andy Hetebrueg (Milwaukee, baseball); Karen Korb (Valparaiso, softball)