With seasons winding down and another school year coming to a close, athletes will come together to celebrate success, not in their sports, but in the classroom.
Today marks the 43rd annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner, an event designed to recognize athletic excellence for those who have achieved a 3.0 grade point average or better over the course of the academic year.
The dinner is put on by the Department of Athletics and the Student Athlete Support Services Office, which invests time in making sure that athletes are able to play their sport while keeping up their grades.
The event also marks the 10th anniversary of the Younkin Success Center, which provides support for students and faculty alike through tutoring and other academic services.
This year, 504 athletes who meet the 3.0 GPA requirement will be in attendance, which is a record for the ceremony.
Last year, 23 full teams made the ceremony, which served as a fierce competition to see who made the best grades.
The 2010 Big Ten Medal of Honor will also be awarded at the ceremony to the top male and female athletes.
Finalists for the men’s award include Jim Cordle (football), Justin Kronauge (tennis), Jeff See (track/cross country), Stefan Sigrist (swimming), Doug Verhoff (soccer) and Wes Wieser (diving). Female finalists are Ashley Bowyer (soccer), Chelsea Davis (diving), Sam Marder (softball), Barbara Nesbitt (synchronized swimming) and Julia Tikhonova (fencing).
The event will be held in the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom of the Ohio Union at 6:30 p.m., with the reception being held in the Suzanne M. Scharer Room prior to the event.
