Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott was selected a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete for the second time, while Michaela Rasmussen and Mikaela Boyd are first-time recipients.
Photo by: Toledo Athletics
Bravo-Harriott, Rasmussen & Boyd Named MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes
4/20/2017 10:13:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND, OH - Junior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, junior Michaela Rasmussen and sophomore Mikaela Boyd have been named Mid-American Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athletes, the league office announced on Thursday. A total of 20 women's basketball players were selected from this past season, as voted upon by faculty athletic representatives at MAC institutions representing the 'best of the best' from the Academic All-MAC Team.
The 2016-17 MAC Champions finished tied for second in the conference for the most recipients with arch-rival Bowling Green, trailing only Northern Illinois with five.Â
Bravo-Harriott was selected a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete for the second time, while Rasmussen and Boyd are first-time recipients.
In addition, Bravo-Harriott and Rasmussen were two of six MAC women's basketball student-athletes who finished up the 2016-17 campaign with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA.
A communication major with a minor in general business and a flawless 4.0 GPA, Bravo-Harriott registered 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.5 steals in 27.9 minutes per game this past season. The 2016-17 third-team All-MAC honoree ranked 11th in the league in three-point field-goal percentage (.352, 56-of-159) and free throw percentage (.774, 82-of-106), 13th in three-point field-goals made (1.7, 56) and tied for 24th in scoring.
The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 Team recipient scored in double figures on 18 occasions, tied for the second-highest total on the squad, including a season-best 23 points against nationally ranked Notre Dame (Dec. 18) and Western Michigan (Feb. 8).
A starter in 33 contests this year, the 2016-17 team captain paced the Rockets in scoring eight times, blocked shots on seven occasions, caroms and helpers three times and thefts once.
A biology major with a minor in chemistry and Spanish and a perfect 4.0 GPA, Rasmussen averaged 1.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 0.2 steals in 7.9 minutes per game this past year. She started 12 of 28 contests and tallied a season-high nine points, a career-tying best eight caroms, two helpers and one steal at Cleveland State (Nov. 19).
Earlier this year, Rasmussen was named to the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team, which spotlights student-athletes who have shown dedication to community service and altruism in community. She was recently recognized during the WBCA Convention and at the NCAA Women's Final Four® earlier this month in Dallas.
A sociology major with a 3.25 GPA, Boyd tallied a team-high 12.2 points, a squad-best 7.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and a team-high 2.1 steals in a squad-best 30.8 minutes per game in 2016-17. The only Rocket to start every contest, the 2016-17 third-team All-MAC honoree ranked fourth in the league in defensive caroms (5.8 rpg), sixth in thefts, overall rebounding and assist/turnover ratio (1.6, 137-85), seventh in helpers and 20th in scoring.
A member of UT's Dean's List in two of the last four semesters, the 2017 MAC Tournament MVP scored in double figures on a team-high 23 occasions during the year, including a career-high 27 points, a contest-best 14 caroms, three helpers and two thefts in a career-tying best 38 minutes vs. Northern Illinois in the championship game of the MAC Tournament (March 11). Boyd also contributed a squad-best 10 double-doubles and scored at least 20 points on a team-high four occasions.
The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete is a third-year award given to students who have excelled in athletics and academics. Following each season from the winter sports schedule, any student with a 3.20 GPA and participation in at least 50 percent of the contests was automatically named to the previously announced Academic All-MAC Team from each sport. Also, first-year students, junior college and graduate school transfers in their first year of residence were not eligible for the award.
From the Academic All-MAC Teams, the faculty athletic representatives selected the 'best of the best' of our Academic All-MAC Teams to be honored with Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2016-17 season. The number of Distinguished Scholar Athletes from each sport were equivalent to the number of first-team selections or 33% of nominees, whichever was greater.
The trio helped the Rockets capture their eighth Mid-American Conference title in program history in 2016-17 and advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001. UT finished with a 25-9 overall ledger and a 12-6 mark in the league, equaling the fifth-most wins in single history.
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Toledo earned the MAC's automatic bid to the "Big Dance" after winning the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. The Midnight Blue & Gold defeated Akron, 65-37, in the first round; MAC East Division champion Kent State, 67-63, in the quarterfinals; defending MAC Tournament champion Buffalo, 72-65, in the semifinals; and Northern Illinois, 82-71, in the finals.Â
2016-17 Women's Basketball Distinguished Scholar-Athletes (20)
*^Hannah Plybon, Akron, Sr., 3.58 GPA, MBA Health Care Management (Orrville, OH)
Carmen Grande, Ball State, So., 3.987 GPA, Industry and Technology (Madrid, Spain)
*Rachel Myers, Bowling Green, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Dietetics (Findlay, OH)
Carly Santoro, Bowling Green, So., 3.823 GPA, Communication Disorders (Bellevue, OH)
*Abby Siefker, Bowling Green, Sr., 4.00 GPA, Biology/Pre-Dentistry (Ottoville, OH)
*Katherine Ups, Buffalo, Jr., 3.922 GPA, Biomedical Sciences (Wollongong, Australia)
Reyna Frost, Central Michigan, So., 3.89 GPA, Physics-Astronomy Concentration (Reese, MI)
Presley Hudson, Central Michigan, So., 3.91 GPA, Biology/Biomedical Sciences (Wayland, MI)
*Jordan Korinek, Kent State, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Special Education (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)
*Larissa Lurken, Kent State, Sr., 3.72 GPA, Nursing (Cottage Grove, MN)
Kayla Brown, Miami, Junior, 3.81 GPA, Microbiology (Westfield, IN)
Georgia Breunig, Northern Illinois, Jr., 3.951 GPA, Accountancy (Sauk Prairie, WI)
Cassidy Glenn, Northern Illinois, Sr., 3.515 GPA, Pre-Physical Therapy (New Lenox, IL)
*Kelly Smith, Northern Illinois, Jr., 3.764 GPA, Biological Sciences (Hartland, WI)
Mikayla Voigt, Northern, Illinois, So., 4.00 GPA, Nursing (Slinger, WI)
Courtney Woods, Northern Illinois, So., 3.674 GPA, Pre-Physical Therapy (Brisbane, Australia)
Mikaela Boyd, Toledo, So., 3.25 GPA, Sociology (Hillside, IL)
*Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, Toledo, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Communication; Business minor (London, England)
Michaela Rasmussen, Toledo, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Biology with Chemistry & Spanish minor (Chaska, MN)
Meredith Shipman, Western Michigan, Sr., 3.53 GPA, Exercise Science (Fort Wayne, IN)
* - 2015-16 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ - 2014-15 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
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The 2016-17 MAC Champions finished tied for second in the conference for the most recipients with arch-rival Bowling Green, trailing only Northern Illinois with five.Â
Bravo-Harriott was selected a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete for the second time, while Rasmussen and Boyd are first-time recipients.
In addition, Bravo-Harriott and Rasmussen were two of six MAC women's basketball student-athletes who finished up the 2016-17 campaign with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA.
A communication major with a minor in general business and a flawless 4.0 GPA, Bravo-Harriott registered 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.5 steals in 27.9 minutes per game this past season. The 2016-17 third-team All-MAC honoree ranked 11th in the league in three-point field-goal percentage (.352, 56-of-159) and free throw percentage (.774, 82-of-106), 13th in three-point field-goals made (1.7, 56) and tied for 24th in scoring.
The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 Team recipient scored in double figures on 18 occasions, tied for the second-highest total on the squad, including a season-best 23 points against nationally ranked Notre Dame (Dec. 18) and Western Michigan (Feb. 8).
A starter in 33 contests this year, the 2016-17 team captain paced the Rockets in scoring eight times, blocked shots on seven occasions, caroms and helpers three times and thefts once.
A biology major with a minor in chemistry and Spanish and a perfect 4.0 GPA, Rasmussen averaged 1.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 0.2 steals in 7.9 minutes per game this past year. She started 12 of 28 contests and tallied a season-high nine points, a career-tying best eight caroms, two helpers and one steal at Cleveland State (Nov. 19).
Earlier this year, Rasmussen was named to the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team, which spotlights student-athletes who have shown dedication to community service and altruism in community. She was recently recognized during the WBCA Convention and at the NCAA Women's Final Four® earlier this month in Dallas.
A sociology major with a 3.25 GPA, Boyd tallied a team-high 12.2 points, a squad-best 7.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and a team-high 2.1 steals in a squad-best 30.8 minutes per game in 2016-17. The only Rocket to start every contest, the 2016-17 third-team All-MAC honoree ranked fourth in the league in defensive caroms (5.8 rpg), sixth in thefts, overall rebounding and assist/turnover ratio (1.6, 137-85), seventh in helpers and 20th in scoring.
A member of UT's Dean's List in two of the last four semesters, the 2017 MAC Tournament MVP scored in double figures on a team-high 23 occasions during the year, including a career-high 27 points, a contest-best 14 caroms, three helpers and two thefts in a career-tying best 38 minutes vs. Northern Illinois in the championship game of the MAC Tournament (March 11). Boyd also contributed a squad-best 10 double-doubles and scored at least 20 points on a team-high four occasions.
The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete is a third-year award given to students who have excelled in athletics and academics. Following each season from the winter sports schedule, any student with a 3.20 GPA and participation in at least 50 percent of the contests was automatically named to the previously announced Academic All-MAC Team from each sport. Also, first-year students, junior college and graduate school transfers in their first year of residence were not eligible for the award.
From the Academic All-MAC Teams, the faculty athletic representatives selected the 'best of the best' of our Academic All-MAC Teams to be honored with Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2016-17 season. The number of Distinguished Scholar Athletes from each sport were equivalent to the number of first-team selections or 33% of nominees, whichever was greater.
The trio helped the Rockets capture their eighth Mid-American Conference title in program history in 2016-17 and advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001. UT finished with a 25-9 overall ledger and a 12-6 mark in the league, equaling the fifth-most wins in single history.
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Toledo earned the MAC's automatic bid to the "Big Dance" after winning the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. The Midnight Blue & Gold defeated Akron, 65-37, in the first round; MAC East Division champion Kent State, 67-63, in the quarterfinals; defending MAC Tournament champion Buffalo, 72-65, in the semifinals; and Northern Illinois, 82-71, in the finals.Â
2016-17 Women's Basketball Distinguished Scholar-Athletes (20)
*^Hannah Plybon, Akron, Sr., 3.58 GPA, MBA Health Care Management (Orrville, OH)
Carmen Grande, Ball State, So., 3.987 GPA, Industry and Technology (Madrid, Spain)
*Rachel Myers, Bowling Green, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Dietetics (Findlay, OH)
Carly Santoro, Bowling Green, So., 3.823 GPA, Communication Disorders (Bellevue, OH)
*Abby Siefker, Bowling Green, Sr., 4.00 GPA, Biology/Pre-Dentistry (Ottoville, OH)
*Katherine Ups, Buffalo, Jr., 3.922 GPA, Biomedical Sciences (Wollongong, Australia)
Reyna Frost, Central Michigan, So., 3.89 GPA, Physics-Astronomy Concentration (Reese, MI)
Presley Hudson, Central Michigan, So., 3.91 GPA, Biology/Biomedical Sciences (Wayland, MI)
*Jordan Korinek, Kent State, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Special Education (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)
*Larissa Lurken, Kent State, Sr., 3.72 GPA, Nursing (Cottage Grove, MN)
Kayla Brown, Miami, Junior, 3.81 GPA, Microbiology (Westfield, IN)
Georgia Breunig, Northern Illinois, Jr., 3.951 GPA, Accountancy (Sauk Prairie, WI)
Cassidy Glenn, Northern Illinois, Sr., 3.515 GPA, Pre-Physical Therapy (New Lenox, IL)
*Kelly Smith, Northern Illinois, Jr., 3.764 GPA, Biological Sciences (Hartland, WI)
Mikayla Voigt, Northern, Illinois, So., 4.00 GPA, Nursing (Slinger, WI)
Courtney Woods, Northern Illinois, So., 3.674 GPA, Pre-Physical Therapy (Brisbane, Australia)
Mikaela Boyd, Toledo, So., 3.25 GPA, Sociology (Hillside, IL)
*Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, Toledo, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Communication; Business minor (London, England)
Michaela Rasmussen, Toledo, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Biology with Chemistry & Spanish minor (Chaska, MN)
Meredith Shipman, Western Michigan, Sr., 3.53 GPA, Exercise Science (Fort Wayne, IN)
* - 2015-16 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
^ - 2014-15 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete
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