Great Lakes Valley Conference Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Distinction

McKendree University had 37 student-athletes earn the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award for the 2020-21 academic year.

The recipients of the GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award exemplify the outstanding student-athletes of the league. Each honoree has exhausted his or her eligibility in the intercollegiate sport in which they participated and maintained at least a 3.5 grade-point average throughout their academic career. In addition, to be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must have competed in the GLVC for a minimum of two years and completed 96 credit hours. A student-athlete can only earn the distinguished honor one time in his or her career.

A total of 16 students from seven member institutions met the highest standard of academic excellence by concluding their collegiate careers with an unblemished 4.0 cumulative grade-point average. That exclusive list includes four individuals from McKendree:

Miranda Gajewski, Sr., Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest, Softball
Margaret Schnoeker, Sr., Coulterville, Ill./Okawville, Women's Golf
Caleb Shipley, Sr., Centralia, Ill./Centralia, Football
Shelby Summer, Sr., Washington, Ill./Washington, Softball

Other GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award honorees included:
Natasha Ainsley-Thomas, Sr., Middleton, England/Sponne School, Women's Golf
Brian Baggette, Sr., Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville YMCA Breakers, Men's Swimming & Diving
Mackenzie Bemis, Sr., Eureka, Mo./Eureka, Women's Lacrosse
Isabella Correa Sarmiento, Sr., Cali, Colombia/Colegio Leonistico La Merced. Women's Bowling
Jacob Donaldson, Sr., Effingham, Ill./Effingham, Men's Basketball
Jennifer Eggert, R. Sr., Carmel, Ind./Carmel, Women's Lacrosse
Sarah Hardin, Sr., Pacific, Mo./Eureka, Women's Lacrosse
Morgan Hollenbeck, Eureka, Mo./Eureka, Women's Soccer
Jenny Homann, Sr., Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg, Softball
Karley Kaimann, Sr., Old Monroe, Mo./Winfield, Women's Soccer
Sara Kalkenova, Gr., Astana, Kazakhstan/Zerde School No. 9, Women's Tennis
Macy Kuhnke, Gr., Marion, Ill./Marion, Women's Golf
Alli Liske, Sr., Ashley, Ill./Nashville, Softball
Caitlyn Lowry, Gr., St. Louis, Mo./Notre Dame, Softball
Gracie Marr, Sr., Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View, Women's Volleyball
Jess Morey, Sr., Loveland, Ohio/Loveland, Women's Lacrosse
Alex Muschong, R. Jr., Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock, Women's Volleyball
A'ja Nauden, Sr., Park Forest, Ill., Rich East, Women's Track & Field
Brett Niedzwiecki, Sr., Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville, Men's Soccer
Alynnah O'Leary, Sr., Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville, Women's Soccer
McKenzie Pirtle, Sr., Sullivan, Ind./Sullivan, Softball
Callie Pohlman, Sr., Appleton, Wis./Appleton North, Women's Basketball
Jacob Reinkenmyer, Sr., Wildwood, Mo./Eureka, Baseball
Victoria Sananikone, Sr., Cedar Park, Texas/Lost Creek Aquatics, Women's Swimming & Diving
Hayden Schaffer, Sr., O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township, Baseball
Rylee Skachenko, Sr., Oceanside, Calif./Carlsbad, Women's Lacrosse
Kayla Smith, Gr., O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township, Women's Lacrosse
McKenzie Smith, Sr., Smithton, Ill./Freeburg, Women's Bowling
Mac Thomalla, Sr., Reading, England/Football Academy Bisham, Men's Soccer
Jared Timmermann, Gr., New Baden, Ill./Wesclin, Baseball
Craig Tompkins, Sr., Edmond, Okla./King Marlin Swim Club, Men's Swimming & Diving
Nikola Uskokovic, Sr., Johannesburg, South Africa/Lycee Francais Jules Verne, Men's Golf
Mya Watson-Blake, Sr., O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township, Women's Track & Field