UMC Athletics Awards Distinguished Honors for 2013-14 Season

CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Crookston athletic department recognized their distinguished award recipients for the 2013-14 season during the University’s award banquet Thur., April 24. UMC men’s golfer Matt McClure (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn./Natural Resources) was selected as the Male Outstanding Athlete of the Year, while women’s basketball player Katrina Moenkedick (So., Perham, Minn./Early Childhood Education) was the Female Outstanding Athlete of the Year.

In addition, UMC awarded baseball player Jesse Jennings (Jr., Robbinsdale, Minn./Criminal Justice) Male Student-Athlete of the Year and women’s golfer Katie Sheetz (So., Grand Rapids, Minn./Biology) Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Tomas Parker (Jr., F/C, Pequot Lakes, Minn./Management) earned the Justin Knebel Memorial Award.

The Athlete of the Year award honors someone who has both outstanding athletic and academic achievements and displays exemplary citizenship and is a role model for their respective program.

McClure had an outstanding season for the UMC men’s golf team, leading the squad with a 77.2 average. McClure charted four top-10 finishes on the 2013-14 season including finishing tied for seventh at the NSIC Men’s Golf Championship. His placing at the Championship culminated a three-week stretch of top-1o finishes, including finishing eighth at the Quarry Oaks Collegiate in Ashland, Neb., and finishing tied for eighth at the Upper Iowa Spring Invite in Columbus, Neb. McClure accomplished his strong Spring season after missing the first tournament due to a death in the family.

In the fall, McClure charted one top-10 finish, placing in a tie for ninth at the Erv Kaiser Invitational, which pitted him against several NCAA Division I golfers.

Moenkedick averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagle women’s basketball team. The sophomore was the only underclassmen who earned placement on the All-NSIC first or second teams as she picked up All-NSIC Second Team accoloades. Moenkedick notched six double-doubles on the season and had seven games over 20 points. The sophomore tallied a career-high 30 points against Upper Iowa University Jan. 3. She added 11 boards to complete the double-double in that game.

The Student-Athlete of the Year Award honors someone with a 3.2 GPA or higher, who has letter the same sport for two years with outstanding athletic and academic achievements. This person also displays exemplary citizenship and is a role model for their respective program.

Jennings, the Male Student-Athlete of the Year, maintains a 3.91 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) in Criminal Justice. He has had three-straight 4.0 semesters. Jennings a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and is an SOS leader. He is also a former Regents Representative for the UMC Student Association (CSA). He serves as a mentor in the baseball program and is well respected by all of his teammates. He was named UMC Teambacker Student-Athlete of the Week once for his performance in the classroom. He is a starter for the team as an outfielder.

Sheetz, the Female Student-Athlete of the Year, had a 3.949 GPA in Biology. She is a member of Alpha Lamba Delta, the National Society of Leadership and Success, SAAC and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She volunteers at the food bank every week. On the course, Sheetz led the team in scoring average and won the Bemidji State Fall Invite and the Dual In The Desert.

Parker, the Justin Knebel Memorial Award recipient, is a junior on the men’s basketball team. The recipient of the award is somebody that exlempifies the things Justin did, being the ultimate team player who works hard on the court and in the classroom and excels both athletically and academically. Parker is a management major at UMC.

In addition, four student-athletes who earned the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award were recognized. These athletes achieved a GPA of 3.75 of higher and are exhausting their eligibility or are on track to graduate. Football players Andrew Steinfeldt (Green Bay, Wis./Health Science) and Joshua Perea (Pico Rivera, Calif./Health Science) and volleyball players Chelsea Wiesner (Rochester, Minn./Health Science) and Alyssa Schneider (Racine, Wis./Early Childhood Education) all earned the honor.

Finally, UMC honored their All-Academic team, which included 67 individuals, an all-time high. To earn UMC All-Academic, an athlete had to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher and be at least a sophome in academic standing. The full listing of the UMC All-Academic Team is listed below.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).