Megan Brown and Patrick Rittenauer Named DII CCA Regional Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Indianapolis -- Sixteen regional winners of the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award were announced on Wednesday. A male and female Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be selected from the 16 regional winners, eight men and eight women. The Sunshine State Conference was well represented among the regional winners, as former Florida Southern softball standout Megan Brown and Barry men's tennis ace Patrick Rittenauer were recognized.
Both Brown and Rittenauer were named the SSC's Scholar-Athletes of the Year in voting conducted in June.
The DII CCA award, sponsored by Disney Sports Attractions, provides the opportunity for Division II to highlight the extraordinary achievements of its student-athletes. DII CCA President and Commissioner of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Jim Naumovich explains that the award showcases the talent at the NCAA Division II level. “Division II has the best of both worlds,” explains Naumovich, “great athletes and great students.”
The commissioners from the regions that comprise the Division II basketball alignment selected the regional winners. To be nominated for consideration, a student-athlete must have attained a 3.0 career cumulative grade point average and possess outstanding athletic credentials.
With a strong commitment to education and a long-standing relationship with Division II athletics, the involvement of Disney Sports Attractions in the award is a natural fit.
“Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex has become a destination for top collegiate athletics, particularly at the Division II level,” said Fred Schoeler, Sports Account Manager for Disney Sports Attractions. “Having worked with the Division II Commissioners Association on the creation of Disney’s Division II Men’s and Women’s Tip Off Classic basketball tournaments, we are thrilled to continue our involvement with the Scholar Athlete Awards, which honors the academic and athletic accomplishments of Division II’s top student-athletes.”
The eight women’s regional winners include: Rebecca Brezovec (Wingate); Megan Brown (Florida Southern); Ana Gutierrez (Seattle); Mary Moskal (Lewis); Meggan Roberge (Saint Michael’s); Sarah Shearman (Truman State); Jessica Trautwein (Minnesota St. Moorhead); Jamie Wolf (Clarion).
Men’s regional winners are: Glen Black (Tusculum); Michael Greenwood (North Dakota); Adam Jensen (Seattle); Morten Jensen (Dowling); Mike Klobucher (Ferris State); Ryan Meredith (Pittsburg State); Patrick Rittenauer (Barry).
Opened in 1997, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex hosts more than 180 amateur and professional sports events each year at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The sprawling 220-acre state-of-the-art complex includes multiple venues and is home to numerous collegiate tournaments, the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, the Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves spring training and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays-Texas Rangers regular-season series, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Pop Warner Super Bowl and the AAU National Championship events.
The national award winners will be announced in late September.
More information about Brown and Rittenauer's impressive accomplishments may be found in the SSC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Release.