INDIANAPOLIS - Drury senior standout Wai Ting Yu has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Award recipient for women's swimming, the league announced on Thursday.

Twelve student-athletes representing six Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) institutions have been named as 2013-14 GLVC Winter & Spring Scholar-Athletes of the Year.  Recipients were honored for their efforts both in the classroom and competition in the sports of men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, baseball and softball.

Lewis University paced all conference schools with four honorees, including Jamie Johnson (women's basketball), Alex Thode (men's golf), Armand Levandi (men's tennis), and Rebecca Preisler (women's track and field). University of Indianapolis was represented by three award winners in Matthew Kaplanis (baseball), Chanice Young (women's golf), and Brooke Boyts (women's tennis). University of Southern Indiana followed with two recipients via MacKenzi Dorsam (softball) and Johnnie Guy (men's track and field). The remaining three spots were headlined by Rockhurst University's Liam Duffy (men's basketball), Missouri S&T's Keith Sponsler (men's swimming and diving) and Drury University's Yu (women's swimming and diving).

The league selects one student-athlete in each conference sport to be designated the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award is based upon athletic accomplishments, both team and individual, and academic performance in the season upon which the award is based. Each conference member has the opportunity to nominate one individual from its team for the award. Nominees must have a cumulative grade point average that meets Academic All-America standards (3.30), and freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible for the award. The voting is completed by each member institution's Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR).

Women's Swimming and Diving:  Yu, known as "Janet" to her teammates, is Drury's second Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the sport as Sarah Pullen earned the inaugural honor last season. Hailing from Hong Kong, China, the GLVC Champion won both the 100 butterfly and was on the winning 400 freestyle relay team. In addition, she placed second at the Conference Championships in the 50 and 100 free en route to a repeat team title. The senior became a seven-time NCAA All-American, finishing first or second in four of the seven races she swam at the national meet in 2015. Her team victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay manufactured a NCAA Division II national record (1:30.57) and also joined her 400- and 800-free relay teammates to take second place nationally. Yu's other runner-up finish came in the 100 free. The Environmental Studies major with a 3.87 GPA this semester was lauded as an Academic All-GLVC honoree and Council of President's Academic Excellence Award recipient as well as a member of her squad that earned Team Academic All-GLVC recognition. She completed her career with a 3.52 overall GPA and was nominated for Outstanding Student of Environmental Studies while landing on the Dean's List.

Women's Basketball:  This honor for Johnson is just another in a plethora of accolades the redshirt-junior has received this year, including the Elite 89 award for academic excellence among all DII women's basketball teams in the NCAA Elite Eight, Capital One Academic All-American First Team, Daktronics, Inc. Third Team All-American and All-Region First Team honors as well as WBCA All-American Honorable Mention. Additionally, she took home the title of GLVC Women's Basketball Player of the Year along with a spot on the All-GLVC First Team and All-GLVC Defensive Team, while being named Lewis' Senior Student-Athlete of the Year, awarded to the senior student-athlete with the highest GPA (4.0), and a Br. David Delahanty Award winner, given to Flyer student-athletes for academic excellence. Furthermore, Johnson becomes the fifth women's basketball Flyer selected as Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is now a four-time Academic All-GLVC Team member, contributing to her program's nod to this year's Team Academic All-GLVC list. On the court, she led the conference in scoring (18.2 ppg) while ranking in the top 10 in four other categories, leading the team to a 31-3 overall record while a near-perfect mark of 17-1 in the GLVC.

Men's Golf:  Thode makes it a three-peat for a Flyer men's golfer to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year after Brandon White won in 2013 and Robert Dofflemyer took it home last season. He was voted the 2015 GLVC Men's Golf Player of the Year, following his record win at the GLVC Men's Golf Championship Tournament, hitting a record nine strokes better than the runner-up and helping the team to a second-place finish. His performance during the conference championships also helped him record a Lewis single-season program record average of 73.26 through 31 rounds, additionally shooting a school-record 66 at the Matt Dyas Invitational on October 28, 2014. Further 2014-15 academic honors for the Washington, Iowa, product include a selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team and being honored by Lewis as a Br. David Delahanty Award winner, given to Flyer student-athletes for academic excellence, after tallying a 3.28 semester GPA that has added to his 3.62 cumulative GPA through four semesters in Finance.

Men's Tennis:  Two-time GLVC Men's Tennis Player of the Year (2014, 2015), Levandi closed his career with multiple honors, including ITA Senior Player of the Year, Capital One Academic All-District At-Large honoree while selected as a Br. David Delahanty Award winner, given to Flyer student-athletes for academic excellence. Additionally, during the fall season he finished as singles runner-up and fifth in doubles during the 2014 USTA/ITA National Small College tournament. The Tallinn, Estonia, native's overall singles record was an impressive 35-4 while 31-4 in doubles, both played at No. 1. As a Business Administration major, Levandi finished his academic career with a perfect 4.0 this past semester to boost his overall GPA to 3.68. His performance in the classroom also earned him the Council of President's Academic Excellence Award.

Men's Tennis:  Two-time GLVC Men's Tennis Player of the Year (2014, 2015), Levandi closed his career with multiple honors, including ITA Senior Player of the Year, Capital One Academic All-District At-Large honoree while selected as a Br. David Delahanty Award winner, given to Flyer student-athletes for academic excellence. Additionally, during the fall season he finished as singles runner-up and fifth in doubles during the 2014 USTA/ITA National Small College tournament. The Tallinn, Estonia, native's overall singles record was an impressive 35-4 while 31-4 in doubles, both played at No. 1. As a Business Administration major, Levandi finished his academic career with a perfect 4.0 this past semester to boost his overall GPA to 3.68. His performance in the classroom also earned him the Council of President's Academic Excellence Award.

Women's Track and Field:  A Lewis record holder as well as a GLVC and NCAA champion, Preisler was able to maintain a near-perfect 3.9 GPA as a graduate student, working toward her MBA. Her 3.9 semester mark also aided the team in earning Team Academic All-Conference, and she was individually recognized for her academic accomplishments by being named to the Capital One Academic All-America Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country First Team and became a Br. David Delahanty Award winner, given to Flyer student-athletes for academic excellence. On the track, the Romeoville, Illinois, native was both the 2015 GLVC indoor and outdoor pole vault champion as well as the NCAA indoor champion, finishing runner-up at the national outdoor meet. She was recognized as the USTFCCCA Midwest Field Athlete of the Year while skyrocketing to the top of the Flyers' record books for both indoor (4.10m/13'5 ¼") and outdoor (4.20m/13'9 ¼") pole vault. Preisler's success in pole vault aided the team to a league indoor championship and an outdoor runner-up finish while 11^th at the NCAA indoor meet.

Baseball:  Kaplanis starred as Indianapolis' ace on the mound, going 8-1 this season in 11 starts, becoming the fourth baseball Greyhound to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year and second in three years, following Jake Hartley's selection in 2013. His eight wins were fourth most in the league while he led the loop with a 7.0 innings per game mark. These efforts were recognized by league coaches who voted him GLVC Co-Pitcher of the Year and East Division First Team All-Conference. Furthermore, the Fort Wayne, Indiana, product was named to the NCBWA All-Region First Team, ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division II Midwest All-Region Second Team, and Daktronics, Inc./DII CCA Baseball All-Midwest Region Second Team. Academically, Kaplanis earned a flawless 4.0 GPA this past semester, improving his overall GPA to 3.62, and earning Capitol One Academic All-America First Team honors, Capitol One Academic All-District IV laurels and just announced as a member of the GLVC Academic All-Conference team.

Women's Golf:  After Indianapolis won its fourth-straight GLVC Women's Golf Championship this season, the Greyhounds and Young became the first program and player ever to accomplish such a feat. She finished fourth individually at the Championships, garnering First Team All-GLVC. Following that record victory, UIndy went on to win the regional crown for the fourth consecutive season, which preceded their victory of the school's first team NCAA Championship in any sport, as the Evansville, Indiana, native led the way with a fifth-place tie. During the 2015 season, the senior captured her first intercollegiate medal at the 141-golfer Perry Park Spring Fling on March 22 while finishing with 10 top-20 finishes, six top-10 cards and five top-5 marks. Young was one of only four golfers voted to the Capital One Academic All-District IV Women's At Large Team after she registered a 3.724 GPA this past semester, and amassed a cumulative GPA of 3.62 during her four years as a Nursing major. Just this week she was on the receiving end of an Academic All-GLVC selection, Team Academic All-GLVC Award and the Council of President's Academic Excellence Award. This is UIndy's ninth women's golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year selection and third in a row after Jenny Konop won the last two years.

Women's Tennis:  A perfect 6-0 in both singles and doubles during conference matches, Boyts totaled a 17-7 overall singles record and went 14-6 in doubles this past season, helping the team to a GLVC regular season title in the East Division as well as the league crown during the Championship Tournament. The Greyhounds also went on to win their first-ever NCAA Midwest Regional before reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. With an unblemished GPA of 4.0 this semester, the Goshen, Indiana, native concluded her career with a 3.96 cumulative GPA in Pre-Art Therapy and Psychology. Those accomplishments earned her a nod to the Capitol One Academic All-District At-Large Team, and she just became an Academic All-Conference team member and Council of President's Academic Excellence Award recipient, additionally contributing to her program's selection to the Team Academic All-GLVC list. Boyts becomes the fifth UIndy Scholar-Athlete of the Year, but only the second during the Winter/Spring selection period as women's tennis used to be awarded during the fall semester through 2005.
Softball:  The GLVC Player of the Year, DII Midwest Region Player of the Year, Southern Indiana Female Student-Athlete of the Year and now the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Dorsam has more than excelled in her final season as a Screaming Eagle. On top of those major awards, the Dubois, Indiana, product was named to the All-GLVC First Team, Daktronics, Inc. All-Midwest Region and All-America First Team, NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team, and NFCA All-America Third Team. She gleaned each of those recognitions in response to a standout season on the field, starting in all 50 games and ranking first in the league in five different categories while second in two others. The second baseman also led the Eagles to a second-place finish at the NCAA DII Midwest Regional Tournament. Working just as hard in the classroom, Dorsam finished her final semester with a 3.666 GPA for a cumulative career mark of 3.656, a place on the Academic All-GLVC team as well as becoming a Council of President's Academic Excellence Award recipient.

Men's Track and Field:  Guy's honor makes him just the second ever Scholar-Athlete of the Year from a USI men's track and field team as Jesse Davis was the first in 2006. Breaking records and tallying numerous accolades, the junior was a four-time First Team All-American (indoor 3000m and 5000m, outdoor 5000m and 10000m) in 2015, the GLVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, NCAA runner-up in indoor 5000m and outdoor 10000m, NCAA DII Midwest Region outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, a three-time GLVC champion (indoor 3000m, indoor 5000m, outdoor 5000m), four-time All-Midwest Region selection, three-time First Team All-GLVC, ran USI's fastest indoor 3000m (8:09.54) and 5000m (14:05.09), ran the nation's fastest outdoor 10000m (28:47.86) and the 4th-fastest outdoor 5000m (14:01.32). A Palmyra, Indiana, native, Guy netted a 3.769 semester GPA to be recognized as an Academic All-District and finalist for Academic All-America while owning a cumulative 3.609 GPA in Engineering.

Men's Basketball:  Duffy is only the second Hawk to ever receive Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction as Aaron Hill was recognized back-to-back years from 2009-10.  The senior completed his career with a 3.92 semester GPA that improved his overall mark to 3.87 in the Pre-Med Molecular Biology field. He has earned Academic All-GLVC honors and Dean's List recognition at Rockhurst each year on campus and is also a recent recipient of the Council of President's Academic Excellence Award. His individual success in the classroom also helped his squad earn the Team Academic All-GLVC laurels. On the hardwood, the Rapid City, South Dakota, product led the league this past season in 3-point field goal percentage (48.3), finishing with 594 career points, 231 rebounds, and 148 assists.

Men's Swimming and Diving:  Sponsler walks away with Missouri S&T's first Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in the sport in just the second year of its recognition. He also earned Academic All-GLVC distinction, having produced a spotless 4.0 this past semester to improve his overall GPA to 3.92 while studying Nuclear Engineering. With such an impressive academic resume, the Lincoln, Nebraksa, native was also recognized on the Capitol One Academic All-District team and is part of the S&T Honor Roll while a member of the Kappa Mu Epsilon and American Nuclear Societies. This year's GLVC Swimmer of the Year and Conference Championship titleholder in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle as well as in the 800-yard freestyle relay, the junior finished seventh in the 200 free at the NCAA meet and became an All-American for the 800 free relay while honorable mention All-American in three other relays. Not only did he excel during these championships, but he also became a four-time school record holder to include the 50 free (20.28), 100 free (44.16), 200 free (1:36.57), and the 800 free relay (6:33.05).