CMU Athletics Honors Student-Athlete Academic Success

4/18/2021 10:51:00 PM | Baseball, Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Soccer, Track & Field, Volleyball, Wrestling, Student-Athlete Services

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan Athletics honored the outstanding academic achievements by its student-athletes on Sunday at the 2021 Ferrantino Academic Excellence Celebration.

"These student-athletes are shining examples of the outstanding individuals that are apart of our department, committed to success on the field and in the classroom," said Amy Folan, the Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics. "It also shows the commitment our coaches, staff and faculty have to helping our student-athletes reach their academic goals including the ultimate goal of earning a degree from Central Michigan University."

Nora Fettinger (gymnastics) and Bernhard Raimann (football) are the Pat Podoll Outstanding Academic Achievement Award winners. The award goes to two senior student-athletes, one male and one female, with the highest grade point average among all senior student-athletes.

Fettinger carries a 4.00 GPA and is majoring in biology (Biomedical, Cell, & Molecular) and minoring in child development. Raimann, an offensive tackle, is an actuarial science major and mathematics minor with a 3.79 GPA.

Fettinger, who hails from Hemlock, competed on floor exercise, balance beam and vault throughout the 2021 season. She recorded a career-high 9.900 on floor exercise in helping the Chippewas to an outstanding 196.425 team score in their home quad victory on March 13.

Raimann, a native of Steinbrunn, Austria, started all six of the Chippewas' 2020 games at tackle after moving from tight end. He is a two-time Academic All-Mid-American Conference honoree and is expected to be a major contributor in the 2021 season.

The women's basketball team received the prestigious Dick Enberg Team Leadership Award, which goes to the program that best meets five criteria: overall GPA, 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 a legendary sports broadcaster. This is the third time that the program has received this honor.

The women's cross country program earned the Outstanding Female Team GPA Award with a combined 3.766 GPA while the baseball team was recognized with the Outstanding Male Team GPA Award, posting a 3.308 GPA.

Finalists for the Dick Enberg Scholar-Athlete Award and for the Boyden Award were announced.

The Enberg Award goes to a student-athlete entering his or her senior year, carries a GPA of 3.20 or better, and has displayed outstanding leadership qualities and performed with distinction. The Boyden Award goes to the varsity letter winner in his or her final year who combines participation in a varsity sport with leadership in campus affairs and activities, along with interests or accomplishments in the arts and in community involvement.

The Boyden Award nominees are Jahari Smith, women's basketball; Grace Gagliardi, field hockey; Kobe Lewis, football; Sierra DeMarinis, gymnastics; Jillian Baldwin, lacrosse; Chesney Wargo, soccer; Stephanie Anderson, softball; Savannah Thompson, volleyball; Tracy Hubbard, wrestling.

DeMarinis, Wargo, Thompson and Raimann are also Enberg Award nominees along with Matt Beachler, men's basketball; Kalle Martinez, women's basketball; Shannon Stein, softball; and Drew Marten, wrestling.

The top scholar-athlete (by GPA) in each of CMU's 15 varsity sports:

Name	Sport	GPA	Major
Drew Alsobrooks	Baseball	4.00	Logistics Management
Caleb Hodgson	Men's Basketball	3.85	Health and Physical Education
Ben Griffith	Men's Cross Country	3.91	Marketing
Nolan Eike	Football	3.93	Finance
Mitchel Christensen	Wrestling	3.98	Exercise Science
Maddy Watters	Women's Basketball	3.94	Marketing
Lexie Jorgens	Women's Cross Country	4.00	Mathematics
Lauren Buffington	Field Hockey	4.00
Claudia Salvador	Golf	3.96	Mechanical Engineering
Savana Kotas	Gymnastics	4.00	Exercise Science
Marissa Dunn	Track & Field	3.92	Recreation & Event Management
Kendall Hoyt	Lacrosse	3.95	Exercise Science
Katie Coleman	Soccer	4.00	Information Systems
Faith Howe	Softball	4.00	Hospitality Services Administration
Gabrielle Kapuscinski	Volleyball	3.97	Biology