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Mid-Con Academic Honors

Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
Academic All-Conference Award

2004-05 Mid-Con Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Three of the league’s best in their respective sports were selected as the 2004-05 Mid-Continent Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year, in a vote of the conference’s faculty athletic representatives. Oakland’s Ryan Rzepka is the men’s recipient, while Centenary’s Anja Schmidt and Oral Roberts’ Candice Satow share women’s accolades. This is the second-straight year that Schmidt has won the conference’s top academic honor. The Mid-Con Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is the most prestigious individual honor given by the league.

Rzepka was a four-time letterwinner for the Golden Grizzlies men’s soccer program, where he took home first team All-Conference honors each of the last two seasons. Rzepka, who was the team captain each of the last two seasons, was a mainstay on an OU defense that allowed a league-best 0.66 goals per game and posted 11 shutouts. He finished the 2004 campaign tied for third on the team with eight points via three goals and two assists.

In the classroom, the native of Novi, Mich., posted a 3.8 cumulative grade point average as an accounting major. Rzepka, who recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from OU, took home ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America first team honors this season after an appearance on the second team a year ago. He also took home third team All-Academic honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) in 2004. Rzepka garnered Dean’s List accolades each of his eight semesters at Oakland and was also a four-time recipient of the Golden Grizzlies Excellence in Academics award. Additionally, Rzepka received the Bud Kulesza Family Scholarship and the Hollie Lipley Senior Scholar Student-Athlete award. He was also the treasurer for Beta Alpha Psi and served on the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) for two years.

Schmidt is just the third student-athlete to win the Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award twice in her career, joining Oral Roberts’ Juliana Moser (1998-99, 1999-00) and UMKC’s Sonya Ahmed (2000-01, 2001-02). In her two seasons competing in the Mid-Con women’s tennis ranks, Schmidt compiled 48 singles wins, 26 doubles victories and two Mid-Con Player of the Year awards. In 2004-05, she posted a 25-2 record in first singles, including a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play. Schmidt’s performance last season earned her first team All-Conference honors, as well as the Louisiana Women’s Tennis Player of the Year award. She was also a four-time Player of the Week recipient in 2004-05.

The native of Gifhorn, Germany accelerated in the classroom, registering a 3.94 cumulative grade point average as an economics and business administration dual major. Schmidt was a six-time Dean’s List honoree and a two-time Mid-Con Academic All-Conference selection. She was also the recipient of the 2005 Top Economics Major award and graduated with honors in just three years. Schmidt was also active in the Greek life at Centenary as a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, Sigma Beta Delta and Alpha Chi.

Satow just completed one of the most storied careers in Mid-Con women’s golf history. The senior earned the Mid-Con Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year after posting a 232 at the 2005 Conference Championship to lead the Golden Eagles to their eighth-straight title. Satow is the first player in conference history (men or women) to earn first-team All-Conference honors four times. Additionally, Satow was a three-time Golfer of the Week award winner in 2005 and posted the league’s best average at a 77.3 clip.

A native of Durban, South Africa, Satow is a three-time member of the Vice President’s List en route to a 3.65 grade point average. In addition to four appearances on the Mid-Con Academic All-Conference squad, Satow also garnered Golden Eagle Super Scholar honors twice and took home Golden Eagle Scholar accolades on eight occasions during her career. The psychology major, with a recreation administration minor, gained All-Academic accolades from the National Golf Coaches Association in 2002 and 2003. Among her other activities on campus, Satow participated in the Valentine’s Day Outreach at Hillcrest Hospital and the United Way Golf Tournament. She is also an active member in the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and of the Asbury Methodist Church.

(Also nominated for the Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award: David Kiefer, Centenary, baseball; Mike Sullivan, IUPUI, soccer; Jeff Stoppel, UMKC, golf; Dennis Bigley, Oral Roberts, baseball; Dan Oppland, Valparaiso, basketball; Ryan Schmidgall, Western Illinois, baseball)

(Also nominated for the Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award: Michelle Cunningham, IUPUI, tennis; Liz Obrecht, UMKC, basketball; Laura Cowham, Oakland, soccer; Lauren Moulton, Valparaiso, volleyball; Kali Landis, Western Illinois, volleyball)

Past Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Year Male Winner Female Winner

1990-91 Tony Bennett, UW-Green Bay

1991-92 Tony Bennett, UW-Green Bay

1992-93 Marc Reidl, Valparaiso Lori Olson, Eastern Illinois

1993-94 Marc Reidl, Valparaiso Heidi Marshall, Cleveland State

1994-95 Jason Kayser, UMKC Tricia Hardtke, Valparaiso

1995-96 Justin Weiss, Eastern Illinois Kim Givens, Youngstown State

1996-97 Anshooman Aga, Troy State Laura Kulans, Valparaiso

1997-98 Bryce Drew, Valparaiso Adrienne Schultz, Western Illinois

1998-99 Jake Koller, Western Illinois Collette Liss, Valparaiso/Juliana Moser, Oral Roberts

1999-2000 Myke Thom, Oakland Juliana Moser, Oral Roberts

2000-01 Ben Houltberg, Oral Roberts Sonya Ahmed, UMKC

2001-02 Tim Weidner, Valparaiso Sonya Ahmed, UMKC

2002-03 Ryan Rzepka, Oakland Tiffany Kyser, IUPUI

2003-04 Justin Langan, Western Illinois Anja Schmidt, Centenary

2004-05 Ryan Rzepka, Oakland Anja Schmidt, Centenary

Candice Satow, Oral Roberts

Academic All-Conference
The Mid-Continent Conference names an Academic All-Conference team for each sport that it sponsors during the course of an academic year. As of the 2005-06 school year, in order for a student-athlete to be selected to the Academic All-Conference team, he or she must meet the following criteria: have a 3.00 or better grade point average in the semester in which they compete; must be a letterwinner in the sport in which they compete. Prior to the 2005-06 school year, in order for a student-athlete to be selected to the Academic All-Conference team, he or she must meet the following criteria: carry a 3.00 or better cumulative grade point average; achieve sophomore academic standing at the institution; and compete in the sport in which he or she is nominated, in the season that corresponds with the selection of the award. Transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates must have completed one academic year at the nominating institution. True freshmen, redshirt freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible for the award.

Please find below .pdf versions of the Mid-Con's Academic All-Conference releases since 1996-97.

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