The MAC office has announced the 2010 winter scholar athletes. The MAC Awards Committee bases selection on academic record (50%) and athletic prowess (50%). One student-athlete is chosen per sport. The winner must be a senior with a minimum GPA of 3.2.
Complete list
Senior Kelly Magrann (Sinking Spring, PA/Holy Name) was honored on Friday morning by the MAC Conference office being named the 2010 Women’s Basketball MAC Scholar-Athlete. The MAC recognizes a senior student-athlete as its scholar-athlete among each sport weighing academics and athletics excellence as well as the nominee’s involvement within the community.
To be nominated you must be a senior and must have at least a 3.20 GPA or higher. Points are awarded to each nominee based on their cumulative GPA and their athletics excellence, while also factoring in the nominee’s involvement within the community. Magrann becomes the second Bulldog to earn the honor this year joining Andrew Ferretti of the men’s cross country team who took home the award in the fall. It is the second straight year the women’s basketball award has been given to a DeSales player after LeighAnn Burke received the award last season.
Magrann is carrying a 3.97 cumulative grade point average into her final semester at DeSales as a Sport & Exercise Science major. She is a four-year member of the women’s basketball team having completed her career this past season with three Freedom Conference Championships and three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a “Sweet 16” appearance during her sophomore year.
She was a major part of the Bulldogs success this past season earning All-Freedom Conference Second-Team honors and being named to the CoSida/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Third-Team. Magrann averaged 10.7 points per game and led the team with 61 made three-pointers, shooting 40.4 percent from outside the arc. She finished her career with 571 career points, ranked sixth all-time with 97 made three-pointers, and shot 35.9 percent from three-point range for her career.
Magrann has been accepted and will be pursuing her doctorate following her graduation from DeSales in May at Arcadia University in physical therapy.
King’s College standout Mike Wagner (Shickshinny/Northwest Area) has been named the 2009-10 Middle Atlantic Conference Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the MAC Office announced. In order for student-athlete to be nominated, he/she must maintain a minimum 3.20 overall grade-point average.
Wagner was a four-year member of the Monarch basketball squad where he was a two-year starter at shooting guard. As a senior, he helped King’s reach the semi-finals of the Freedom Conference Tournament
Academically, Wagner owns a 3.94 grade-point average as an accounting major and has been named to King’s Dean’s List all seven semesters thus. A three-time MAC All-Academic selection, Wagner has been named to the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. He is a Moreau Academic Scholarship recipient, a Kenneth L. Pollack Scholarship recipient, and a Shickshinny Business Association Scholarship recipient. A member of King’s golf team, Wagner is also a two-time MAC All-Academic entering his senior year.
On the court, Wagner finished second on the Monarch squad in scoring with a 10.5 points per-game average. He ranked second in the Freedom Conference with a 2.54 three-point field goals per-game while also finishing second with 66 total three-pointers. Wagner was also third in Freedom Conference three-point field goal percentage at 43.7 (66-151) .
Off the court, Wagner is a member of King’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the King’s Accounting Association. He has also served as a volunteer at St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen.
“We are very happy Mike has been honored with this outstanding award as he is extremely deserving,” King’s coach J.P. Andrejko stated. “Mike works hard in everything he does and strives to be the best he can be. It is nice to see all the hard work and dedication pay off for him. He is a great example of what student-athletes can achieve when they aspire to reach their goals.”
The MAC annually presents scholar-athlete awards for all sports within the conference. Wagner and the remainder of the MAC scholar-athletes will be honored at a banquet May 4 at Lebanon Valley College.
Widener senior Tyla Conicello (West Conshohocken, PA), who enjoyed a standout career, has been named the Middle Atlantic Conference Women’s Swimming Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Conicello, who sports a 3.822 GPA in Social Work, adds yet another award to what already is an impressive resume. She is a two-time member of the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team with the 2010 announcement pending and a three-time member of the MAC Academic Honor Roll.
This year was a strong one for Conicello, one of the captains on a squad which ended fourth in the league. She was part of the 200-yard medley relay team that closed third at this year’s MAC Championships and a member of the school-record 200 and 400-yard medley relay teams.
Also this season, Conicello won the 100-yard backstroke and the 50-yard freestyle to go with being on the winning 200-yard medley relay team against Lebanon Valley. She also won the 100-yard freestyle against Elizabethtown.
She also was part of one other winning team in the 200-yard medley relay, three victorious 400-yard medley relay squads and one winning 400-yard freestyle relay unit.
Away from the pool, Conicello served as President of Student Government and participated in Alternative Spring Break.
Conicello is Widener’s second Scholar-Athlete this academic year as Brian Pastor (Chambersburg, PA) was so honored for football.
She also is Widener’s fifth honoree in the last two years. In 2008-09, Meghan Fitzsimmons won for volleyball, Shawn McDevitt was the honoree for men’s swimming and Matt Sosna won for men’s basketball.
Conicello will be honored at the league annual awards luncheon, which is attended by the school’s presidents, directors of athletics and faculty representatives. That will take place May 4 at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA.