Big Ten Announces 2014-15 Distinguished Scholars

Big Ten Announces 2014-15 Distinguished Scholars

7/8/2015 3:44:00 PM | Academic Services & Student Development

By: Carsten Parmenter

EVANSTON, Ill. – Fifty-two Northwestern student-athletes from a school record 17 different varsity programs have earned prestigious Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition, the conference announced Wednesday.

"The list of Big Ten Distinguished Scholars annually reflects the young men and women who epitomize both halves of the student-athlete experience," said Jim Phillips, vice president for athletics and recreation. "Even among a distinguished peer group here at Northwestern, this is an elite group.

"It is rewarding to watch them excel in competition, but even more so to witness their dedication and development in the classroom as they build a foundation for the rest of their lives. We are so proud of the achievements of our Wildcats academically, socially and athletically."

These Wildcats scholars represent diverse fields of study that are truly representative of the broad academic pursuits offered at Northwestern. Included in these 52 award winners are:

11 student-athletes with majors in the School of Communication
Seven student-athletes with majors in the School of Education and Social Policy
Four economics majors
Five engineering majors with four different specializations
Three student-athletes with majors in the Medill School of Journalism
One student-athlete majoring in the intense Integrated Science Program
Four double majors
One quadruple major

Three Wildcats -- senior Haydyn Anigian of women's lacrosse, her classmate Paige Jones of women's lacrosse, and sophomore Kayla Morin of volleyball -- received special recognition for earning perfect 4.0 GPAs over the past year.

The award, in its seventh year of existence, was established by the Big Ten Faculty Representatives to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Similar to the Academic All-Big Ten honor, Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must be letterwinners in at least their second academic year at their institution. However, this award encompasses only student-athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, excluding summer school.

The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for their academic career. In 2014-15, Northwestern earned a school-record 228 total Academic All-Big Ten honors to put it over the 200 mark for the fifth consecutive year.

Baseball (4)
Antonio Freschet, Jr. • Communication Studies • San Mateo, Calif.
Scott Heelan, Sr. • Post Baccalaureate • Gurnee, Ill.
Cody Libman, Sr. • Political Science • Glenview, Ill.
Kyle Ruchim, Sr. • Post Baccalaureate • Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Women's Basketball (1)
Karly Roser, Sr. • Cognitive Science • Hamilton, Ontario

Cross Country (3)
Elena Barham, Jr. • Political Science and Philosophy (double major) • Madison, Wis.
Erica Grubbs, Jr. • History • Davenport, Iowa
Renee Wellman, Jr. • Social Policy • Carmel, Ind.

Women's Fencing (5)
Sarah Bruhl, Sr. • Social Policy and Psychology (double major) • Fairfield, Conn.
Kimmy Fishman, So. • Radio/Television/Film • Ardsley, N.Y.
Mikela Goldstein, Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change • Hewlett, N.Y.
Charlotte Sands, Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change • New York, N.Y.
Mary Spohn, Sr. • Radio/Television/Film • Toluca Lake, Calif.
Jen Yamin, Jr. • Communication Studies • Allendale, N.J.

Field Hockey (4)
Lauren Bernardi, Jr. • Psychology • Pittston, Pa.
Kelsey Gradwohl, Jr. • Psychology • Ann Arbor, Mich.
Lena Phillips, Jr. • Communication Studies • Allentown, Pa.
Kelley Stump, Jr. • Journalism • Allentown, Pa.

Football (5)
Austin Carr, Jr. • Philosophy • Benicia, Calif.
Matt Frazier, Sr. • Communication Studies • Bourbonnais, Ill.
Sean McEvilly, Sr. • Post Baccalaureate • Yorba Linda, Calif.
Shane Mertz, Sr. • Economics • Hazlet, N.J.
Jaylen Prater, Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change • Hamden, Ohio

Women's Golf (1)
Suchaya Tangkamolprasert, Jr. • Economics • Bangkok, Thailand

Women's Lacrosse (5)
Haydyn Anigian, Sr. • Journalism • Dallas, Texas
Mikaela Bozza, Sr. • Gender and Sexuality Studies • Brighton, N.Y.
Jessica Dahldorf, Jr. • Human Development and Psychological Services • Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nancy Dubar, Sr. • Psychology • Baltimore, Md.
Emily Eichner, Jr. • Biological Sciences • Rochester, N.Y.
Paige Jones, Sr. • Communication Studies • Edina, Minn.
Sheila Nesselbush, Jr. • Industrial Engineering • Penfield, N.Y.

Men's Soccer (1)
Joey Calistri, Jr. • Communications Studies • Deerfield, Ill.

Women's Soccer (8)
Jackie Alyinovich, Sr. • Human Communication Sciences • Burr Ridge, Ill.
Rachel Bergman, Jr. • Anthropology • West Bloomfield, Mich.
Kiltie Finsand, Sr. • Biomedical Engineering • Edina, Minn.
Ali Herman, Sr. • Journalism and International Studies (double major) • Villanova, Penn.
Jennifer Korn, Jr. • Industrial Engineering • Naperville, Ill.
Nandi Mehta, Jr. • Economics and International Studies (double major) • Lexington, Mass.
Kaitlin Moore, So. • Economics • Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Niki Sebo, Jr. • Human Communication Sciences • Downers Grove, Ill.

Softball (2)
Andrea DiPrima, Sr. • Human Development and Psychological Services • Arlington Heights, Ill.
Julia Kuhn, Sr. • Human Communication Sciences • Middletown, N.J.

Men's Swimming and Diving (1)
Aaron Sears, Sr. • Mechanical Engineering • Neenah, Minn.

Women's Swimming and Diving (3)
Lauren Abruzzo, So. • Philosophy • Denver, Colo.
Madeleine Klichowski, Sr. • Manufacturing and Design Engineering • Chicago, Ill.
Annika Winsnes, So. • Biological Sciences • Singapore

Men's Tennis (1)
Alberto Zanotti, Sr. • Communication Studies • Valencia, Venezuela

Women's Tennis (1)
Brooke Rischbieth, Jr. • Learning & Organizational Change • North Adelaide, S. Australia

Volleyball (3)
Yewande Akanbi, Sr. • Psychology • Houston, Texas
Kayla Morin, So. • Undecided • Portage, Mich.
Savannah Paffen, Sr. • Biological Sciences • Mountain View, Calif.

Wrestling (1)
John Coukos, Sr. • Integrated Science Program (ISP), Chemistry, Math and Biology (quadruple major) • Framingham, Mass.