By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Yet another Tennessee Tech student-athlete was on the receiving end of the Ohio Valley Conference's highest honor, as the League announced its six recipients of the 2020-21 OVC Scholar-Athlete Award Wednesday, including Golden Eagle volleyball senior Ali Verzani.
The award is given annually to three men and three women student-athletes for their accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and because of their leadership qualities. This marks the fourth time in the past five years at least one Tech student-athlete was honored.
Verzani, an outside hitter from Sioux City, Iowa, represents the 35th Golden Eagle student-athlete to take home the honor and the fifth in the past five years. Last year, soccer's Kaitie Shipley earned the honor for the purple and gold.
"I am ecstatic for Ali," Tech Director of Athletics Mark Wilson expressed. "She truly embodies this honor and is a perfect example of what we encourage each of our student-athletes to strive for; dedication to success in athletics, in the classroom and in the community.
"This honor does not come easy, so it really speaks volumes of not only her efforts, but also those of our academic and athletic community helping our student-athletes shine even brighter and excel well beyond their potential."
Following a strong debut as a sophomore in 2018, Verzani established herself as one of the best players in the OVC during the 2019 campaign, earning All-OVC First Team honors after ranking third in the OVC and 96th nationally in kills per set and third in the OVC and 89th nationally in points per set.
"Our entire team is just so proud of Ali," Tech head volleyball coach Jeannette Waldo said. "She is an unbelievable teammate and such an outstanding person wherever you have the pleasure of meeting her. Ali possesses an incredible and contagious work ethic that goes beyond the court and extends to every area of her life. She is very deserving of this honor and we are so excited to have her back with us for one more season."
During her time with the Golden Eagles, the team has jumped 75 spots in the RPI and the team's winning Conference record a year ago was the first for the program in the league since 2014.
In the classroom, she compiled a 4.0 grade point average in completing her degree in business administration with a minor in healthcare informatics in December 2019. She is currently working on her master's in business administration (MBA) where she has also recorded a 4.0 GPA. Verzani has earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor twice, been named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll two times and the TTU Athletic Directors Honor Roll four times.
She was selected for the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, is the vice president of the TTU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), is a member of the OVC SAAC and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and is an academic tutor for English, economics, finance, accounting and biology courses at Tech.
Additionally, Verzani is a member of the Chi Alpha Campus Ministry, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and volunteered at local elementary schools, the Cookeville Rescue Mission and assisted with the Putnam County tornado clean-up.
The other 2020-21 OVC Scholar-Athlete winners included Olivia Lohmeier of Morehead State (volleyball), Jaime Marcos of Eastern Illinois (cross country/track & field), Joe Muschong of Morehead State (golf), Fabienne Schmidt of Austin Peay (tennis), and Zack Woodard of Jacksonville State (football).
The six winners were selected from a group of 18 finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.5 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 2019-20 school year.
Other nominees for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Jacob Abbott of Eastern Kentucky (baseball), Evan Davis of Belmont (golf), Quinn Eaton of Murray State (golf), Julie Garst of Belmont (soccer), Emily Holten of Southeast Missouri (soccer), Bailey Hubbard of Eastern Kentucky (golf), Jessica Kinder of Murray State (track & field), Tavin Kilpatrick of Tennessee Tech (football), Jack McDonald of Austin Peay (football), Greta Romei of Jacksonville State (track & field), Taylor Steele of Eastern Illinois (basketball) and Jack Story of UT Martin (golf).
Photo by Thomas Corhern
