Amy Folan's Maroon & Gold Memo: Academics and Freshmen in the Spotlight

Dr. Benjamin Swarts, a chemistry and biochemistry faculty member in the Central Michigan University College of Science and Engineering, recently was named the Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success award winner by the Mid-American Conference.

At CMU, Dr. Swarts' name is often mentioned in campus news detailing tuberculosis and other infectious disease research from his lab and through his partnerships with other areas on campus, such as the College of Medicine. His lab team includes several undergraduate and graduate students, offering them opportunities for hands-on research and to be part of published work. The award from the MAC is not unusual for Dr. Swarts. His biography page on the CMU website showcases some of his many honors.

The academic honor from the MAC is meaningful. Every university in the Mid-American Conference is, first and foremost, an academic institution. In 2022, Central Michigan student-athletes averaged a 3.27 grade-point average, and for the last 48 consecutive semesters, the department recorded an average GPA of 3.0 or higher. Our ongoing focus on academic success ensures student-athletes chase MAC championships while learning and growing from the expertise of CMU faculty members.

Congratulations, Dr. Swarts and thank you! We join the MAC in celebrating your many accomplishments and your unwavering commitment to students.

CMU is home to Freshmen of the Year
Our men's and women's basketball teams swept the Freshman of the Year awards from the Mid-American Conference.

Sydney Harris, a guard/forward from Edwardsville, Illinois, earned the honor and ranked third in the league in scoring at 17.4 points per game. She led the women's team in scoring, made 86 3-pointers and averaged a MAC-best 2.97 triples per game.

Reggie Bass, a guard from Muncie, Indiana, earned the award after closing the season by averaging 26 points per game over the last five games. He scored a career-high 40 points this season and set a school record for most free throws in a game (21) versus Northern Illinois on Feb. 25.

Congratulations, Sydney and Reggie! We're proud of you.

Wrestling, gymnastics chase championships
We're in the thick of March Madness, and we're cheering on several CMU Chippewas.

Wrestling: Johnny Lovett is seeded 19th, Alex Cramer 20th and Corbyn Munson 29th in their respective weight classes for the NCAA Tournament, which began yesterday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's the third national title run for Lovett, and Munson also qualified in 2022. Cramer qualified in 2021 but did not compete because of an injury.

Gymnastics: The Chippewas will travel to Kent State Saturday for the MAC Championship. Led by a first-place all-around performance from senior Hannah DeMers, CMU finished the regular season strong Sunday by beating Kent State.

Get outside and cheer for CMU
Regardless of the weather, it's nearly time to catch one of our early spring sporting events.

Lacrosse: The home game March 26 against Marquette is a Morgan's Message game. Morgan's Message focuses on mental health within the student-athlete community and aims to equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.

Softball: The softball team has back-to-back home games against Kent State on March 28-29.

Baseball: The Chippewas take on Kent State in a three-game series starting Friday, March 24.

I hope to see you there!

Support our student-athletes by becoming a Chippewa Athletic Fund member
No matter your connection to CMU Athletics, I invite you to join me in supporting our student-athletes. By becoming a member of the Chippewa Athletic Fund, all of us can support the academic and athletic passions of all of our student-athletes.

You can make a gift to join the team behind our teams on the Chippewa Athletic Fund giving page.

Amy Folan's Maroon & Gold Memo: Academics and Freshmen in the Spotlight

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