Abilene Christian baseball standout Brad Rutherford and Midwestern State softball star Lauren Craig were chosen as the 2010 Lone Star Conference Fred Jacoby Academic Athletes of the Year. The awards were announced Wednesday following a vote of the league’s sports information directors.
ACU’s Rutherford and MSU’s Craig are only the third recipients of the award bearing the name of Jacoby, the long-time LSC commissioner who passed away in March 2008. The nominees included the Academic Player of the Year in each sport as selected during the year.
Rutherford received the most votes for LSC top male academic athlete followed by Mustangs football star Zack Eskridge and Cameron golf standout Peter Svajlen.
Craig earned Female Academic Athlete of the Year honors ahead of ACU basketball star Jamie Meyer, Tarleton State golf standout Carla Cooper and West Texas A&M volleyball star Lauren Thedford.
Rutherford, a junior from Missoula, Mont., carries a 4.0 GPA while majoring in physics. He picked up first-team ESPN The Magazine academic all-District VI honors after another solid season for the Wildcats, finishing 3-3 with 10 saves and a 2.63 ERA. Rutherford, a relief pitcher, was a first-team all-LSC selection and was voted to the LSC all-tournament team.
A senior psychology major from Frisco, Texas, with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, Craig garnered first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors. She earned the North Division Player of the Year and Academic Player of the Year honors, hitting .348 with eight doubles, five homers and drove in 49 runs as she became just the fourth player in school history to notch 100 career RBIs as she finished with 112. Craig, a catcher, also received second-team All-South Central Region honors from both Daktronics and the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association after leading the Mustangs to a LSC record 54 wins and to the NCAA Division II South Central Super Regionals.
LSC MALE ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF YEAR (Sport, Name, School, Points):
Baseball, Brad Rutherford, Abilene Christian, 20; Football, Zack Eskridge, Midwestern State, 17; Golf, Peter Svajlen, Cameron, 14; Track & Field, Brian Holik, Angelo State, 9; Soccer, Jacob Fynboe Jensen, West Texas A&M, 8; Football, Steve Day, Southwestern Oklahoma, 7; Basketball, Kallan Glasgow, Cameron University, 5; Cross Country, Tyler Jackson, East Central, 2; Tennis, Vjekoslav Stipanic, Midwestern State, 2.
LSC FEMALE ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF YEAR (Sport, Name, School, Points):
Softball, Lauren Craig, Midwestern State, 20; Basketball, Jamie Meyer, Abilene Christian, 19; Golf, Carla Cooper, Tarleton State University, 13; Volleyball, Lauren Thedford, West Texas A&M, 11; Softball, Alix Dean, Angelo State, 9; Basketball, Cristy Nitz, Northeastern State, 7; Soccer, Jacqueline Horner, Texas Woman's, 6; Track & Field, Sara Hooker, Angelo State, 2; Cross Country, Kayla Hendrix, Midwestern State, 1; Tennis, Michaela Romanova, Northeastern State, 1.