Payton Durham Volunteer Coach | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
Payton Durham Volunteer Coach | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
Academic honors continue to be awarded to Western Illinois student-athletes. On Friday, the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) announced its Academic Medal of Honor recipients for the 2023-24 academic year.
In total, 14 Leathernecks and 310 OVC student-athletes earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor for the 2023-24 academic year. This marks the second-highest total in league history, trailing only the 356 winners in 2020-21. The OVC Academic Medal of Honor is given annually to student-athletes who achieve the highest grade point average in a Conference-sponsored sport.
Every Academic Medal of Honor recipient for the 2023-24 academic year carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Of the 310 award winners, 50 were awarded Academic Medals of Honor for multiple sports but were counted just once in the final recipients list.
Western Illinois women's cross country runner and track and field athlete Hannah Steinmeyer was a dual recipient, earning the honor in her sport.
Women's basketball led with four recipients: Addi Brownfield, Kennedy Flanagan, Carla Flores, and Ainsley Holthaus.
Women's tennis and women's volleyball each had two honorees. Aubrey Brumbaugh and Paige Grice were honored for tennis, while Charity Dundas and Kennedy Bauer were named for volleyball.
Other honorees included Grant Palmer (baseball), Logan Lommel (men's cross country), Olivia McCrystal (women's golf), Samantha Claesson (women's soccer), and Hannah Steinmeyer (women's track and field).
The Academic Medal of Honor is just one of several OVC academic honors; next week, the league will announce the Commissioner's Honor Roll and Overall/Team Academic Award Winners.
Southeast Missouri had the most selections with 45, followed by Eastern Illinois (41), Lindenwood (38), and Tennessee Tech (35).
The sport of women's soccer had the most honorees league-wide with 61, followed by women's track and field with 43, and softball with 30.
Over the past five years, more than 1,500 student-athletes have earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor. The OVC will announce additional academic awards next week.
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