Three FSU Athletes Claim Commissioner's Award

Big Rapids, Mich. - Three Ferris State University student-athletes have been reocgnized as recipients of the fall 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Meijer Commissioner’s Award.

The awards, sponsored by Meijer, Incorporated, are presented after the Fall, Winter, and Spring athletic seasons to six male and six female student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. All grade point averages are based on a 4.0 scale.

Ferris State's honorees include senior volleyball player Ashley Huntey (Stanwood/Morley-Stanwood), senior women's cross country runner Tina Muir (St. Albans, U.K.) and senior football player Tom Schneider (Jerome/Addison).

“I admire the dedication and hard work on the field and in the classroom that has been exemplified by the 12 student-athletes who were awarded the Commissioner’s Award,” stated GLIAC Commissioner Dell Robinson. “This group will serve to be our future leaders of tomorrow. The conference office truly appreciates the continued support that has provided by Meijer allowing our student-athletes to be recognized regionally and nationally for academic excellence.”

The six female student-athletes to receive the Fall 2011 Meijer Commissioner’s Awards include:  Huntey and Muir of Ferris State University; Ashley Botts of Grand Valley State University; Clara Leutheuser and Amanda Putt of Hillsdale College; and Michelle Rogers of Tiffin University.

The six male student-athletes to receive the Fall 2011 Meijer Commissioner’s Awards are: FSU's Schneider; Anthony Witt of Grand Valley State; David Bakker of Hillsdale; Jacob Clark of Michigan Technological University; Mike Noffsinger of Ohio Dominican University; and Josh Renel of Wayne State University.

Ferris State and Hillsdale were the only conference schools to have three individuals honored.  Grand Valley State had two selections while four other schools each had one honoree for the fall season.

A three-time All-GLIAC and GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree, Huntey claimed AVCA Division II All-America Third Team honors this fall after leading the Bulldogs to a league title and the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Semifinals. Huntey received GLIAC Player of the Week accolades four times this season and became only the seventh player in FSU history to notch both 1,000 career kills and digs. The team captain led the GLIAC in points (472) and ranked second in kills (404). A three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team selection, Huntey totaled 10 or more kills in 25 matches this campaign. Additionally, she was named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team and also received both AVCA and Daktronics All-Midwest Region First Team honors as FSU posted a 27-4 overall record and a first-place 18-1 league mark. Huntey is majoring in nursing and has earned a 3.73 grade point average.

Muir, a senior runner at Ferris State, is winning her third Commissioner’s Award. Muir led the Bulldogs in her last collegiate cross country race by finishing a personal-best seventh overall and sixth in scoring position at the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championships to earn All-America accolades for the fourth-straight season. She is the only four-time All-American in FSU women’s cross country history and her performance represented the highest individual finish ever for the Bulldogs, who tied for the best team finish in school history (eighth). The 2011 GLIAC “Athlete of the Year” won the league’s individual crown for the second time and twice claimed GLIAC “Runner of the Week” laurels this fall. Her efforts helped FSU to a number three national ranking and league runner-up finish this season. She also claimed All-GLIAC honors for the fourth time in her career. Muir has a 3.86 cumulative grade point average in leadership management.

A senior quarterback, Schneider finished the 2011 campaign with 2,370 passing yards and 15 touchdowns while helping the Bulldogs to their first winning season since 2008. Schneider completed 66.2% (215-325) of his passes and was also the squad’s second-leading rusher with 464 yards and seven TD’s. He had seven games of 200 yards passing or more this season and ranked among the GLIAC’s top performers in passing yards, total offense and completion percentage. A two-time GLIAC Honorable Mention pick, Schenider earned GLIAC All-Academic Team laurels for the fourth time and was both an AFCA Good Works Team and National Football Foundation (NFF) Scholar-Athlete nominee. The two-time team captain also received the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award in 2010 and earned FSU’s “Most Valuable Offensive Skill Player” Award for the second consecutive season. Schneider currently owns a perfect 4.00 grade point average while majoring in recreation leadership and management.

Both Schneider and Muir are repeat honorees from the fall 2010 season.