Heather Riniker of Ridgeway named 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete

SAVANNAH, GA (01/31/2012)(readMedia)-- SCAD, the university for creative careers, is pleased to announce that Heather Riniker of Ridgeway, Wis. (53582), was recently named as a 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Cross Country Scholar-Athlete. Riniker is a member of the SCAD women's cross country team pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fibers.

To attain the honor, student-athletes must be in their junior or senior year and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. University coaches nominate athletes for the honor. In 2011, 305 women's cross country student-athletes were named to the list.

SCAD is a longtime member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics competing in The Sun Conference. Each year, SCAD student-artist-athletes are recognized locally, regionally and nationally for excellence in the classroom as well as in athletics competitions. Many SCAD teams have been ranked among the nation's top 25 teams in recent years.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 areas of study, as well as minors in nearly 60 disciplines in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning.

SCAD has more than 20,000 alumni and offers an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. The diverse student body, consisting of more than 11,000 students, comes from all 50 United States and more than 100 countries worldwide. Each student is nurtured and motivated by a faculty of more than 700 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. These professors emphasize learning through individual attention in an inspiring university environment. SCAD's innovative curriculum is enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources and has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including 3D World, American Institute of Architects, BusinessWeek, DesignIntelligence, U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times.

For more information, visit scad.edu.