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.