Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Athletics Announces Academic Awards
4/16/2020 9:58:00 AM | General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Volleyball, Student-Athlete Services
Kern and Kemp earn the Pat Podoll Award.
Central Michigan Athletics has announced its 2020 academic achievement awards.
"I am so proud of the academic achievements of our student-athletes, especially this outstanding group," said Michael Alford, Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics. "The numbers speak for themselves – 42 straight semesters with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, 193 student-athletes finished the fall semester with a GPA of 3.50 or higher and the overall cumulative GPA of Chippewa student-athletes stands at 3.193. I am amazed at the work ethic and commitment that our student-athletes show in the classroom and their success is a direct result of that."
Michael Kemp of the men's basketball team and Megan Kern of the volleyball team are the Pat Podoll Outstanding Academic Achievement Award winners. The award goes to two graduating student-athletes, one male and one female, with the highest grade point average among all CMU student-athletes.
Kemp, a sport management major, carries a 3.82 GPA. Kern, a biology major, carries a 3.97.
Kern, who hails from LaGrange, Ill., was a key cog on a Chippewa volleyball team that finished 21-9 and won its first Mid-American Conference West Division title since 2003. She led the team in sets played and digs, and ranked second in aces and third in assists. Three times in the 2019 season she was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week and she also earned the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week Award. She is a three-time Academic All-MAC selection and twice in her career earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Kemp, who hails from Unionville, appeared in 12 games for the men's basketball team.
The men's and women's cross country teams earned the Outstanding Team GPA Awards. The women's team compiled a 3.697 GPA for the fall semester, while the men's team posted a 3.333.
"At the end of the day it's really important to our student-athletes to not only do the best that they can on the cross country course, but also in the classroom," said CMU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jenny Swieton. "They define 'student-athlete.' They absolutely put academics first and work extremely hard in their sport as well.
"Sometimes there are some sacrifices that have to be made to do well in both areas, but they're 100 percent willing to make those sacrifices in order to be the best student that they can be and to be the best athlete that they can be."
The gymnastics team received the prestigious Dick Enberg Team Leadership Award, which goes to the program that best meets five criteria: overall grade-point average, academic progress rate, community service, athletic performance, and commitment to excellence.
The award is named in honor of the late Dick Enberg, CMU's most-famous alum and legendary sports broadcaster.
The top scholar-athlete in each of CMU's 16 varsity sports:
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"I am so proud of the academic achievements of our student-athletes, especially this outstanding group," said Michael Alford, Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics. "The numbers speak for themselves – 42 straight semesters with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, 193 student-athletes finished the fall semester with a GPA of 3.50 or higher and the overall cumulative GPA of Chippewa student-athletes stands at 3.193. I am amazed at the work ethic and commitment that our student-athletes show in the classroom and their success is a direct result of that."
Michael Kemp of the men's basketball team and Megan Kern of the volleyball team are the Pat Podoll Outstanding Academic Achievement Award winners. The award goes to two graduating student-athletes, one male and one female, with the highest grade point average among all CMU student-athletes.
Kemp, a sport management major, carries a 3.82 GPA. Kern, a biology major, carries a 3.97.
Kern, who hails from LaGrange, Ill., was a key cog on a Chippewa volleyball team that finished 21-9 and won its first Mid-American Conference West Division title since 2003. She led the team in sets played and digs, and ranked second in aces and third in assists. Three times in the 2019 season she was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week and she also earned the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week Award. She is a three-time Academic All-MAC selection and twice in her career earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Kemp, who hails from Unionville, appeared in 12 games for the men's basketball team.
The men's and women's cross country teams earned the Outstanding Team GPA Awards. The women's team compiled a 3.697 GPA for the fall semester, while the men's team posted a 3.333.
"At the end of the day it's really important to our student-athletes to not only do the best that they can on the cross country course, but also in the classroom," said CMU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jenny Swieton. "They define 'student-athlete.' They absolutely put academics first and work extremely hard in their sport as well.
"Sometimes there are some sacrifices that have to be made to do well in both areas, but they're 100 percent willing to make those sacrifices in order to be the best student that they can be and to be the best athlete that they can be."
The gymnastics team received the prestigious Dick Enberg Team Leadership Award, which goes to the program that best meets five criteria: overall grade-point average, academic progress rate, community service, athletic performance, and commitment to excellence.
The award is named in honor of the late Dick Enberg, CMU's most-famous alum and legendary sports broadcaster.
The top scholar-athlete in each of CMU's 16 varsity sports:
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| Name | Sport | GPA | Major |
| Amanda Britain | Soccer | 3.97 | Marketing |
| Kyra Bussell | Women's Basketball | 3.98 | Exercise science |
| Shannon Doyle | Lacrosse | 3.92 | Exercise science |
| Nora Fettinger | Gymnastics | 4.00 | Biology |
| AJ Frens | Men's Track & Field | 3.89 | Mechanical engineering |
| Zach Gilles | Baseball | 3.82 | Biology |
| Mikaela Grant | Women's track & field | 3.92 | Dietetics |
| Michael Kemp | Men's Basketball | 3.82 | Sport management |
| Meg Kern | Volleyball | 3.97 | Biology |
| Jami Laude | Golf | 3.88 | Economics |
| Cloe Mallory | Softball | 3.84 | Biology |
| Drew Marten | Wrestling | 3.75 | Biochemistry |
| Sarah Mesko | Field Hockey | 3.91 | Neuroscience |
| Robi Stuart | Football | 3.85 | Neuroscience |
| Conor Naughton | Men's Cross Country | 3.64 | Sport management |
| Elisa Pokorny | Women's Cross Country | 3.85 | Biology |
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Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Libero
/ Volleyball
/ Men's Cross Country
Fall 2021 Athletics Graduation Celebration
Sunday, December 19