Ohio Wesleyan University senior Molly Jewett (Eagle, Colo./Eagle Valley) won the highest honor at the 17th annual Dale J. Bruce Scholar-Athlete Awards ceremony on Wednesday.
Jewett, a member of the volleyball team, received the Presidential Award, recognizing the University's top athlete and person. The top honor awarded by the Ohio Wesleyan athletics department, the Presidential Award is based on athletics ability and achievement, academic excellence, character, leadership, activities, and inspiration.
Receiving Top Ten Awards were senior Madison Bridger (Pataskala/Licking Heights), senior Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.), junior Molly Delaney (Delaware/Olentangy), Jewett, senior Mary Kate McElroy (Whipple/Beverly Fort Frye), senior Conor McGeeney (Loveland/Archbishop Moeller), junior Chase Patton (Delaware/Hayes), senior Amelia Richardson (Lakewood), senior Ashley Smiley (Delaware/Hayes), and junior Bryce Wittman (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy).
The Top Ten Award is voted upon by the Ohio Wesleyan Athletics Council and is based upon the student-athlete's impact upon their family, their team, the University and the Delaware community. Bridger is a member of the softball team, Cooper is a member of the football team, Delaney is a member of the women's basketball team, Jewett is a member of the volleyball team, McElroy is a member of the women's cross country and women's track & field teams, McGeeney is a member of the men's lacrosse team, Patton is a member of the women's track & field team, Richardson is a member of the volleyball team, Smiley is a member of the women's soccer and women's track & field teams, and Wittman is a member of the wrestling team.
The Dr. Jay Martin Award, honoring the top male senior student-athlete, went to McGeeney.
The Nan Carney-DeBord Award, recognizing the top female senior student-athlete, went to Jewett.
The Dr. Richard Gordin Award, recognizing the highest cumulative grade point average among senior male student-athletes, went to Cooper.
The Mary Parker Award, recognizing the highest cumulative grade point average among senior female student-athletes, went to senior Darcy Picker (Mount Gilead).
The James DiBiasio Sportsmanship Award went to senior Nick Soika (Seville/Lodi Cloverleaf), and the Mackenzie Conway Sportsmanship Award went to senior Rachel Albers (Mason).
Also recognized were Ohio Wesleyan's top 50 student-athletes by cumulative grade point average. They were: junior Chase Agin (Blacklick/Columbus St. Francis DeSales), senior Rachel Albers (Mason), junior Kofi Ansah-Tutu (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange), junior Max Beard (Palo Alto, Calif./Gunn), junior Katelyn Bischoff (Marysville/Marysville Early College), senior Erin Bitzer (Wassenaar, the Netherlands/American School of the Hague), senior Madison Bridger (Pataskala/Licking Heights), senior Grace Burich (Buffalo, N.Y./Mount St. Mary), sophomore Makayla Burzynski (Bexley), sophomore Cameron Bush (Centerville), senior Hannah Bush (Mount Gilead), sophomore Audrey Calvin (Medina/Akron Our Lady of the Elms), sophomore Nicholas Cianciola (Massillon/Canton Central Catholic), senior Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.), sophomore Ella Cressy (Canal Winchester), junior Jack Damon (Portsmouth, R.I.), junior Molly Delaney (Delaware/Hayes), sophomore Joey DeRusso (Sagamore Hills/Nordonia), sophomore Katie Doiron (Monument, Colo./Palmer Ridge), senior Aimee Duckworth (Hilliard/Bradley), sophomore David Eisele (Avon Lake), sophomore Autumn Ford (New Albany), sophomore David Gale (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum Senior), junior Davis Graham (Canton/Massillon Jackson), senior Emma Hall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central), sophomore Kaito Iwasaki (Sendai, Japan/Sendai Daini), sophomore Katie Lee (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), sophomore Rachel Leslie (San Diego, Cali./Mt. Carmel), and sophomore Phoebe Lightfoot (Cypress, Texas/Cy-Fair Senior).
Also, sophomore Kevin Macias (Westerville/Columbus St. Charles), sophomore Jay McConkey (Cambridge), senior Mary Kate McElroy (Whipple/Beverly Fort Frye), sophomore Trevar Meese (Wooster), junior Libby Norlander (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon), senior Darcy Picker (Mount Gilead), sophomore Dalton Rice (Caldwell/Shenandoah), senior Kayla Rondinelli (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek), senior Erin Ross (Middlefield/Cardinal), junior Luigi Russo (Kelowna, B.C./Rutland Senior), sophomore Carly Schafer (Tiffin/Columbian), senior Emily Sheridan (North Smithfield, R.I./Marianapolis (Conn.) Prep), junior Ruthie Silberman (Deerfield, Ill.), senior Ashley Smiley (Delaware/Hayes), sophomore Isabel Solowiej (Amherst/Firelands), junior Leigh Stavar (Perry), junior Lucas Stetter (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain), senior Makayla Trebella (Girard), sophomore Reece Trowbridge (Thornville/Sheridan), sophomore Mikayla Watts (Geneva), and sophomore Wyatt Wells (Marion/Pleasant).
The Bob Strimer Director's Cup, awarded to the Ohio Wesleyan team with the highest cumulative grade point average, went to the softball team.
The Dale J. Bruce Scholar-Athlete Awards are named in honor of the late Dale Bruce '52, an All-America football end at Ohio Wesleyan who was a longtime supporter of Battling Bishop athletics.
