Mid-American Conference
Male and Female Scholar Athlete of the Week
May 16, 2012
Male Scholar Athlete of the Week: May 7-13
Eastern Michigan Terefe Ejigu (outdoor track and field)
Terefe Ejigu (distance, Sr., 3.50, international affairs) performed exceptionally well over the
weekend in the 2012 Outdoor Mid-American Conference Championships Thursday-Saturday, May
10-12. Ejigu was named the Most Valuable Performer for the second straight outdoor championship
after he took first in the 10,000-meter Thursday evening and winning the 5,000-meter Saturday
afternoon. In the 10,000-meter the Wellington, New Zeland native won with a finish of 31:13.71,
while his 15:11.38 was almost two seconds faster than anyone else in the 5,000-meter run. It was
the third year in a row that Ejigu won the 10,000-meter title and he is the first athlete in MAC
history to have won three consecutive conference championships in the event. In addition to being
named the MVP, Ejigu garnered first team All-MAC honors as the Eagles finished fourth.
Female Scholar Athlete of the Week: May 7-13
Bowling Green Hannah Fulk (softball)
Hannah Fulk (SS, Jr., 4.0, mathematics) closed out her historic season with a strong offensive
performance at the MAC Tournament, leading all Falcons in hits, going 5-for-11 at the plate. Fulk
also led the Orange and Brown in runs (3), home runs (2), RBI (3), total bases (12), slugging
percentage (1.091) and on-base percentage (.455). Fulk was one of only two players to be named to
the MAC All-Tournament Team that did not make it to the final day of play. Fulk finished the year
with 15 home runs and 42 walks, both school records.
The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honor is presented to a MAC male and female student-athlete
who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during the week’s
competition. The winners are selected by a group of the conference’s faculty athletic
representatives.
Other Male Nominees:
Bowling Green: Patrick Martin (baseball, LHP, R-Sr., 3.75, secondary education) appeared in two games
during the weekend series with Toledo, going eight innings. On Friday, Martin appeared in relief, going two
innings allowing just one unearned run. On Sunday, after Senior Day festivities were complete, Martin came
back
for
the
start,
going
six
innings
and
not
allowing
a
run.
Buffalo: Matt Pollock (baseball, LF, Jr., 3.198, undecided) batted .500 over three games (6-12) with two
doubles and two home runs against Eastern Michigan. He also scored six runs and drove in four runs from his
leadoff position. He came just a triple shy of a cycle in Friday's 18-3 win over Eastern Michigan. Pollock leads
the team with a .356 batting average, 17 doubles and 12 home runs this season.
Northern Illinois: Troy White (Baseball, Infielder, Sr., 3.364, business administration) was a staple in the
Northern Illinois offense against Western Michigan last weekend, scoring a team-leading five runs and batting
6-for-11 (.545) with two doubles, one RBI and two walks. Adding his six hits and two walks versus the
Broncos, White boasted a .615 on-base percentage for the Huskies in Kalamazoo. In Friday's series opener
against WMU, White was 4-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and one RBI in NIU's 13-9 loss to Western
Michigan. On Saturday he was one of three Huskie seniors to graduate from Northern Illinois, but was unable
to attend the ceremony.
Ohio: Seth Streich (baseball, pitcher, Jr., 3.39, sociology) picked up his fourth win of the season on Sunday at
Akron, throwing a complete-game victory over the Akron Zips. Streich allowed eight hits and only two earned
runs in the outing, striking out six en route to helping Ohio pick up its third straight win of the weekend. The
junior showed solid control during the game, only walking one batter. Sunday’s complete game was the third
that Streich has thrown this season.
Toledo: Joe Corfman (baseball, second base, Sr., 3.744, marketing and finance) hit a team-high .526 (10-for19) with five runs scored, one double and one RBI in four games, helping Toledo win three contests and
maintain its first-place standing in the MAC’s West Division. Corfman hit safely in all four games and added a
team-high .571 on-base percentage. The four-year letterwinner opened the week with a 1-for-4 effort at Big
Ten member Michigan State on Wednesday, May 9. Two days later against arch-rival Bowling Green in the
series opener, Corfman went 2-for-5 with one run scored. The following afternoon, he hit 3-for-4 with two
runs scored, one RBI, one stolen base and was hit by a pitch on two occasions. Corfman then wrapped up the
week with a 4-for-6 effort and two runs scored to propel UT to a series sweep against its arch-rival Falcons.
The Richfield, OH native has equaled the school record with 254 career hits with former teammate Chris
Dudics (254, 2008-11).
Other Female Nominees:
Akron: Ariane Beaumont-Courteau (outdoor track and field, pole vault, So.,, 3.99, dietetics) who owns a
3.99 GPA as a dietetics major at UA, completed the season sweep of both MAC Indoor and Outdoor pole vault
championships last weekend by finishing first in the women's competition with a jump of 13-04.50. The
native of Montreal, Quebec, was one of two MAC Champions on the day for the women's team, which finished
seventh overall.
Eastern Michigan: Beverly Elcock (outdoor track and field, mid-distance, Sr., 3.03, language/international
trade) finished her EMU career with great performances in both the 800-meter run and 4x400-meter relay at
the 2012 Outdoor Mid-American Conference Championships. Elcock was a member of the second place
4x400-meter relay team which recorded the seventh-best time in Eastern Michigan history, completing the
distance in 3:39.38. As for her performance in the 800-meter, she qualified for the finals Friday afternoon,
with a 2:11.52, the third-best time in the preliminaries. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native stepped-up her in the
finals with a 2:07.25, crowning her the champion of the 800-meter run on Saturday. Elcock’s finish was the
fourth-best time posted in EMU history. Elcock was named first team All-MAC for her performance at the
championships, helping the Eagles to a fifth place finish.
Miami: Ashley Zaper (outdoor track and field, heptathlon/hurdles, R-So., 3.54, kinesiology (minor:
nutrition)) totaled 11 points at the Outdoor MAC Championships over the weekend to help Miami place
fourth at the meet. She earned Second-Team All-MAC honors after taking runner-up in the heptathlon with a
personal-best 5,064 points, which ranks her second in school history and is the third-best score all-time at
Miami. She was just 78 points back of Ball State’s Thekla Lorenz, who won, while her score ranks 64th
nationally. On Thursday as part of the heptathlon, Zaper won the 100m hurdles (14.13) and tied for fifth in
the high jump (1.61m/5-3.25). On Friday during the heptathlon, she was second in the long jump with a
personal-best leap of 5.70m/18-8.5, which ranks her 10th in school history in the long jump, was first in the
javelin with another personal best (37.08m/121-8), which ranks her seventh at Miami, and had a PR in the
800m (2:27.99). In addition to the eight points Zaper earned for taking second in the heptathlon, she qualified
for the finals of the 100m hurdles on Friday in 14.29 and finished sixth in the 100m hurdles final on Saturday
in 14.24 to pick up another three points for Miami.
Northern Illinois: Courtney Oldenburg (outdoor track and field, distance, Jr., 3.884, nursing) turned in a
solid weekend at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships by taking fifth place in the 1500
meters. The junior from West Salem, Wis. Began on Friday with a seventh place showing in the prelims,
clocking in at 4:32.67. She would improve on that performance dramatically in the finals when she ran
4:28.98 to take fifth place and score her first career points at the conference title meet.
Ohio: Emily Pifer (outdoor track and field, distance, So.,, 3.94, journalism) had a strong weekend for the
Bobcats at the 2012 Mid-American Conference Track and Field Championships in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The
sophomore scored Ohio’s first points of the championships on Thursday, placing fourth in the 10k with a time
of 36:11.32. She then followed this up with an eighth-place finish in the 5k, running a 17:21.96.
With her time in the 10k, Pifer has locked up a spot in the upcoming NCAA Regional competition
Toledo: Emma Kertesz (outdoor track and field, distance, Sr., 3.096, history) received the 2012 MAC
Women's Outdoor Most Valuable Performer Award on top of being named first-team All-MAC after helping
the Rockets tie their program best with a second-place showing at the MAC Championships. With winning
times of 10:33.45 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 16:35.87 in the 5,000 meters, Kertesz led the Rockets
to the only two distance-event sweeps in the history of the MAC Championships. She also placed third in the
1500-meters with a time of 4:28.16. The Women's Outdoor MVP award comes just over two months after
Kertesz was also named the conference MVP for her performance at the MAC indoor championships, as well.
Western Michigan: Iris Campbell (Outdoor Track and Field, Sprinter/Jumper, Junior, 3.64, Nursing) defended
her 200 meter dash title at the 2012 Outdoor MAC Championships by crushing the WMU record she set
earlier in the season to take first place with a time of 23.68 second. She was named First Team All-MAC for
winning the 200 and helping the 4x400 meter relay team to a MAC title. She also scored in the 400 meter
dash, the 100 meter hurdles, and the 4x100 meter relay. In the 400 she took third place, in the 100 hurdles
she took fifth place and as a part of the 4x100 team she helped them finish in second place. Campbell was
named the MAC Championship’s Most Outstanding Track Performer and was just four points shy of being
named the meet MVP.
Previous Female Winners
Week 1 (Sept. 9)
Kristen Lynn, Toledo (soccer)
Week 2 (Sept. 16)
Brigit Reder, BSU (soccer)
Week 3 (Sept. 23)
Paige Roback, EMU (volleyball)
Week 4 (Sept. 30)
Rachel Iaquaniello, EMU (volleyball) and Nicole Gyurgyik, Toledo (soccer)
Week 5 (Oct. 7)
Brigit Reder, BSU (soccer)
Week 6 (Oct. 14)
Skylar Chew, BSU (soccer) and Bailey Brandon, CMU (soccer)
Week 7 (Oct. 21)
Toye Famodu, Ohio (soccer)
Week 8 (Oct. 28)
Kristin Hoffman, NIU (volleyball)
Week 9 (Nov. 4)
Carla Johl, KSU (field hockey)
Week 10 (Nov. 10)
Maddy Eccleston, BGSU (tennis)
Week 11 (Nov. 17)
Cassie Farrell, Miami (volleyball)
Week 12 (Nov. 26)
Trisha Krewson, KSU (basketball)
Week 13 (Nov. 30)
Juli Accurso, Ohio (cross country)
Week 14 (Dec. 7)
Briana Emig, EMU (swimming & diving)
Week 15 (Dec. 14)
Tenishia Benson, Ohio (basketball)
Week 16 (Dec. 22)
Courtney Osborn, Miami (basketball)
Week 17 (Jan. 11)
Emily Pifer, Ohio (track and field)
Week 18 (Jan. 18)
Briana Emig, EMU (swimming & diving)
Week 19 (Jan. 25)
Week 20 (Feb. 1)
Week 21 (Feb. 8)
Week 22 (Feb. 15)
Week 23 (Feb. 22)
Week 24 (Mar. 1)
Week 25 (Mar. 8)
Week 26 (Mar. 15)
Week 27 (Mar. 21)
Week 28 (Mar. 28)
Week 29 (Apr. 4)
Week 30 (Apr. 11)
Week 31 (Apr. 19)
Week 32 (Apr. 25)
Week 33 (May 2)
Week 34 (May 9)
Week 35 (May16)
Ariane Beaumont-Courteau, Akron (indoor track and field)
Brittany Petzold, CMU (gymnastics)
Holly Anderson, CMU (indoor track and field)
Ariane Beaumont-Courteau, Akron (indoor track and field)
Kristin Teubner, CMU (gymnastics)
Valerie (Wert) Fraizer, Akron (indoor track and field)
Taylor Ruper, Akron (basketball)
Natachia Watkins, EMU (basketball)
Jenna Ignowski, EMU (softball) and Jessica Simpson, Miami (softball)
Tanya Rachan, NIU (gymnastics)
Alison Mercado, BSU (softball)
Emily Reuland, BGSU (tennis) and Emma Kertesz, Toledo (outdoor track and field)
Megan Weaver, Ohio (golf)
Jessica Simpson, Miami (softball)
Prang Pantusart, Akron (tennis), Mercedes Germino, KSU (golf) and
Lindsay Tobias, Toledo (softball)
Lauren Gellerman, Ohio (softball)
Hannah Fulk, BGSU (softball)
Previous Male Winners
Week 1 (Sept. 9)
Scott Caldwell, Akron (soccer)
Week 2 (Sept. 16)
Tyler Merkel, BSU (golf)
Week 3 (Sept. 23)
John Potter, WMU (football)
Week 4 (Sept. 30)
David Eichenberger, Miami (cross country)
Week 5 (Oct. 7)
Dylan Conway, Buffalo (cross country)
Week 6 (Oct. 14)
Jay Karutz, EMU (football)
Week 7 (Oct. 21)
Scott Kovanda, BSU (football)
Week 8 (Oct. 28)
Marlon Pollard, EMU (football)
Week 9 (Nov. 4)
Terefe Ejigu, EMU (cross country)
Week 10 (Nov. 10)
Spencer Keith, KSU (football)
Week 11 (Nov. 17)
Alex Gillett, EMU (football)
Week 12 (Nov. 26)
Noah Keller, Ohio (football)
Week 13 (Nov. 30)
Ryan Neir, NIU (football)
Week 14 (Dec. 7)
Nabal Jefferson, NIU (football)
Week 15 (Dec. 14)
Zach Filzen, Buffalo (basketball) and Jeremy Johnson, Ohio (wrestling)
Week 16 (Dec. 22)
Kevin Smith, Buffalo (wrestling)
Week 17 (Jan. 11)
Aaron Sulzer, EMU (wrestling)
Week 18 (Jan. 18)
Michael Cavanaugh, Miami (swimming & diving)
Week 19 (Jan. 25)
Kevin Smith, Buffalo (wrestling)
Week 20 (Feb. 1)
Rian Pearson, Toledo (basketball)
Week 21 (Feb. 8)
Brad Dieckhaus, NIU (wrestling)
Week 22 (Feb. 15)
Wes Schroeder, EMU (wrestling), Rian Pearson, Toledo (basketball) and
Matt Stainbrook, WMU (basketball)
Week 23 (Feb. 22)
Jeremy Johnson, Ohio (wrestling)
Week 24 (Mar. 1)
Terefe Ejigu, EMU (indoor track and field)
Week 25 (Mar. 8)
Jake Thomas, BGSU (baseball)
Week 26 (Mar. 15)
Matt Pollock, Buffalo (baseball)
Week 27 (Mar. 21)
Jordan Goffena, Miami (outdoor track and field)
Week 28 (Mar. 28)
Wojciech Starakiewicz, Buffalo (tennis)
Week 29 (Apr. 4)
Brent Ohrman, EMU (baseball)
Week 30 (Apr. 11)
Jordan Goffena, Miami (outdoor track and field)
Week 31 (Apr. 19)
Jason Bagoly, KSU (baseball)
Week 32 (Apr. 25)
Wojciech Starakiewicz, Buffalo (tennis)
Week 33 (May 2)
Ryan Wilkinson, Toledo (baseball)
Week 34 (May 9)
Matt Rosinski, Miami (baseball)
Week 35 (May 16)
Terefe Ejigu, EMU (outdoor track and field)