COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech's Teresa Craig, a senior on
the Golden Eagle volleyball team, has been chosen as one of six
individuals in the Ohio Valley Conference to receive its
prestigious Scholar-Athlete Award for 2008-09.
The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by
OVC student-athletes, and is given annually to three men and three
women student-athletes of junior or senior status for their
accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and
because of their leadership qualities.
A four-year starter for the Golden Eagle volleyball team under
coach John Blair, Craig is a right-side hitter from Muncie, Ind.,
and is majoring in political science. Last month, she was named
first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America.
A team captain, Craig helped her team win the 2008 OVC Regular
Season and Tournament Championships and advance to the NCAA
Tournament last season. This year, she has played a key role in the
Golden Eagles reaching the OVC Tournament. Having played in over
430 career sets, Craig is nearing the TTU top five list in that
category. In 2009 she has established career-highs in both kills
and hitting percentage.
In the classroom Craig has a perfect 4.00 GPA and is on track to
graduate in the spring and plans to go to law school. After being a
second-team selection last year, Craig was also a first-team ESPN
The Magazine Academic All-District Team selection by CoSIDA this
season and will appear on the national ballot later this month for
consideration for the honor of Academic All-America.
She has been a three-time OVC Medal of Honor and
Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection in addition to being
named to the Tennessee Tech Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in
each of her six semesters in school. She is the President of the Pi
Sigma Alpha honor society, a member of the Pre-Law Society, Mortar
Board and the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Each of the past two
years she has helped organize the “Take Back the Night”
event on the TTU campus; the event helped raise awareness about
violence against women and children. Craig is a native of Muncie,
Ind.
The six winners were selected from a group of 19 finalists by a
vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have
performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.25
grade point average and conducted themselves in a manner which has
brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution,
intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on
academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the
2008-09 school year.
Craig becomes the 25th student-athlete from Tennessee Tech to
win the honor since it was established in 1981-82 and the sixth
from the Golden Eagle volleyball team.
Previous Tech men to win the award are Derek Lee (1986), Kevin
Kalen (1987), Jim Cornelius (1988), Clark Richey (1988), Stephen
Arnette (1990), Wes Gallagher (1999), Shane Sewell (2000), Kevin
Boucher (2001), Stephen Gordon (2002), Thomas Nelson (2007) and
Braadley Thompson (2008).
Previous Tech women to capture the honor are Jerilynn Harper
(1982), Jan Schuler (1986), Angie Duncan (1984), Cecilia Ramsey
(1991), Julie Jones (1992), Merrie Robin Caldwell (1995), Dena
Adams (1996), Rachel Melchiorre (1998), Meredith Ferlic (1999),
Diane Seng (2000), Stephanie Ward (2003), Anne Morrow (2005) and
Beth Boden (2008).
In addition to Craig, the other five 2008-09 Ohio Valley
Conference Scholar-Athlete winners are: Josh Cain of Jacksonville
State University (football), Jamie Furstenberg of the University of
Tennessee at Martin (soccer), Jessica Goshert of Eastern Kentucky
University (soccer), Derek Hardman of Eastern Kentucky University
(football) and Leonardo Locatelli of Austin Peay State University
(tennis).
Information on the other five winners:
Josh Cain – Josh Cain is in his final season with the
Jacksonville State football team. In over 43 career games he has
over 130 career tackles including the second-most on the JSU team
this season. This year he has started every game at strong safety
and had a season-high 14 tackles in a road victory over Austin
Peay. This season he was also named a national semifinalist for the
William V. Campbell Trophy which is presented by the National
Football Foundation and is also known as the “Academic
Heisman.” Cain was a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic
All-District Team selection by CoSIDA and will appear on the
national ballot later this month for consideration for the honor of
Academic All-America. Cain was one of just 22 (and one of only
three from the Football Championship Subdivision) selected to the
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in September; the award was given to
honor players who embodied the true spirit of teamwork and giving
back through acts of kindness and community service. Cain is active
in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) as a team huddle
leader, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big
Sisters Program, a counselor for the Kanakuk Sports Kamps and he
spent last summer with a medical missionary team in Tanzania,
Africa. In the classroom Cain has already earned his undergraduate
degree in computer science (May 2009), graduating Magna Cum Laude
with honors, compiling a 3.89 grade point average. He is currently
working on his master’s degree in the same field. Cain has
been named to the President’s List, Dean’s List and the
OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He has also been awarded the
Ohio Valley Conference Academic Medal of Honor, while being a
representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and the Upsilon Pi
Epsilon Honor Society. Cain is a native of Wetumpka, Ala.
Jamie Furstenberg – Jamie Furstenberg is a four-year member
of the UT Martin soccer team, including serving as the team captain
in 2009. The midfielder played in only two games in 2009 before
injury cut her season short. For her career she has 58 career
starts, seven goals and five assists and ranks in the top 10 in
school history in each of those categories. Her freshman season she
played defender for a team that ranked among the nation’s
best in defense and was named the squad’s Most Valuable
Defender. A year ago she was named to the OVC All-Tournament team.
In the classroom she has a 3.97 GPA in psychology. She has been a
three-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection and a
two-time recipient of the OVC Medal of Honor. In 2008 when was
named an All-American Scholar by the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America (NSCAA). She has also been a member of the
UTM Honor’s Program and the Dean’s List. Furstenberg is
a member of the Gamma Beta Phi and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies,
the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and President of the
Psi Chi National Honor Society. She also has participated in
numerous volunteer activities including Operation Christmas Child,
Recycle Day and Touchdowns for Telethon. Furstenberg is a native of
Traverse City, Mich.
Jessica Goshert – Jessica Goshert just completed her fourth
year of soccer at Eastern Kentucky University and was the Colonels
team captain for two years. A starter for most of her career she
logged the second most minutes on the team in 2008, helping the EKU
defense record an OVC-best and program-record eight shutouts. As a
sophomore in 2007 she was honored as a second-team All-OVC
selection at defender. Her efforts helped Eastern Kentucky to its
first OVC Tournament appearance in 2008, after the team finished
second in the regular season. In the classroom Goshert has compiled
a 3.99 GPA in biology (pre-med) with a minor in Spanish. She has
been a selection to the Dean’s List and a Colonel Scholar
every semester of her college career and a member of the
President’s List five times. She has also been named to the
OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll as well as received the OVC
Medal of Honor. Goshert is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor
Society as well as a member of EKU’s Honors Program. She has
been a regular volunteer at the Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical
Center in Richmond as well as the St. Vincent Hospital in
Indianapolis. She has also volunteered with the EKU Canned Food
Drives and Charity Kick-off that collected shoes for the
Soles4Souls organization. Goshert is a native of Indianapolis,
Ind.
Derek Hardman – Derek Hardman is in his fourth season as a
starter on the Eastern Kentucky offensive line. After redshirting
in 2005 he has started every game since. The last two years he has
been a part of OVC Championship teams that have been among the
league’s best in rushing offense as well as protecting the
quarterback from sacks. The left tackle also serves as EKU’s
team captain. Hardman was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team in
2006, the All-OVC first-team in 2008 and was a Preseason
All-American selection heading into the 2009 season. This season he
was named a national semifinalist for the William V. Campbell
Trophy which is presented by the National Football Foundation and
is also known as the “Academic Heisman.” Hardman was
also a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team
selection by CoSIDA and will appear on the national ballot later
this month for consideration for the honor of Academic All-America.
Hardman completed a degree in business administration in Dec. 2008,
finishing with a 3.53 GPA and graduating Cum Laude. He is now
working on his MBA and has a 4.00 GPA in graduate school. Hardman
has been a member of the Dean’s List, a selection to the OVC
Commissioner’s Honor Roll and OVC Medal of Honor recipient.
He is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Student-Athlete Honor Society
and the International Honor Society for Beta Gamma Sigma. Hardman
has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the Roane County 4-H and
the Shriner’s Hospital among other activities and was a
Homecoming King nominee this past year. Hardman is a native of
Spencer, W.Va.
Leonardo Locatelli – Leonardo Locatelli is in his fourth
season with the Austin Peay men’s tennis squad. A varsity
captain, he has played in the top three singles spots his first
three years with the program. That includes a 9-8 record as a No. 1
seed in singles and a 9-7 mark in No. 1 doubles in 2008-09. In
2006-07 Locatelli was named the program’s Most Improved
Player and has been Team MVP each of the last two seasons. He was
an All-OVC second-team choice in 2008-09. In the classroom he has
maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA in business administration (with a
concentration in economics and international management). Locatelli
has earned OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Medal of Honors
selections in each of the past three years. He has been named to
the APSU’s President’s List for six straight semesters
and was Austin Peay’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in
2008-09 (all programs). Locatelli was a second-team ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-District choice a year ago and was the
recipient of the Governor’s Club Academic Achievement
Scholarship in 2008-09. He has been an active member of
APSU’s International Program that helps promote diversity at
the University. He has served as a Peer Mentor for Freshman
Orientation, is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor
Society and has been awarded the Global Learning Scholarship to
study abroad in Spain. Locatelli is a native of Pelotas,
Brazil.
Other nominees for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Taylor Askew of
Tennessee Tech University (football); Dustin Davis of Southeast
Missouri State University (cross country/track and field);
Alexandra Gjevre of Morehead State University (softball); Kelsey
Johnikin of Jacksonville State University (basketball); Juli
Koenegstein of Southeast Missouri State University (cross
country/track and field); Drew Lee of Morehead State University
(baseball); Mallory Luckett of Murray State University
(basketball); Lauren Moon of Austin Peay State University (soccer);
Erin O’Grady of Eastern Illinois University (cross
country/track and field); LaDonna Pierce of Tennessee State
University (basketball); Jeff Rutherford of Eastern Illinois
University (tennis); Kyle Tiernan of Murray State University
(baseball); Charles Sparkman of Tennessee State University
(football).