Varner and Gibler Earn Scholar-Athlete of the Month Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – Valparaiso’s Ashley Varner and Loyola’s Walt Gibler have been named the Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Month for the month of December.

Varner, a women’s basketball player for Valparaiso, averaged 13.7 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game during December. She registered four double-doubles and averaged 32 minutes per game on the month. The fifth-year senior scored a season-high 19 points against Eastern Illinois and tallied 10 or more rebounds five times in seven games, including 12 against IPFW and Eastern Illinois.

Off the field, Varner is a graduate student studying clinical mental health. The South Bend, Ind. native maintains a 3.84 GPA in her coursework and has been named to the Horizon League’s Fall and Spring Academic Honor Rolls each of the last three years. Additionally, she has received Valparaiso Student-Athlete Presidential Academic honors for the past three years. This is the second time Varner has been honored by the Horizon League, as she was named the Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month as a sophomore in 2009.

Gibler, a men’s basketball player at Loyola, scored double figures in all eight games he played in December, averaging 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and shooting 55 percent from the field and 78 percent from the charity stripe. He scored a career-best 29 points against long-time city rival DePaul on Dec. 7 and recorded three double-doubles in the final five games of December. Gibler is closing in on becoming just the 18th player in Loyola history to total both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for his career. He entered January with career totals of 906 points and 456 rebounds.

The psychology major is a member of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll and was named to the National Jesuit All-Academic Team in 2009-10. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was named the male Horizon League Scholar Athlete of the Month two times during 2009-10 and is a three-time recipient of Loyola’s Don Izban Award for outstanding academic performance.

The Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month recognizes outstanding academic and athletic achievements. To be eligible for the honor, the 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, passed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours and perform well during the month’s competition. Winners are selected by the League’s faculty athletics representatives, from nominations provided by sports information directors.