Brown, Rittenauer Tabbed Scholar-Athletes of Year
Florida Southern softball pitcher Megan Brown and Barry men’s tennis player Patrick Rittenauer have been named the Sunshine State Conference Female and Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, respectively, it was announced by Commissioner Michael J. Marcil.
Voting for Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards was conducted among the league’s directors of athletics and faculty athletics representatives. Criteria for selecting the Scholar-Athletes of the Year includes grade point average (40%), athletic prominence at the conference, regional and national level (40%), and service within the school and community (20%).
Brown graduated from Florida Southern with a 3.97 grade point average. A physical education major, she was named ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-America for the second time in her career. Brown was also selected as FSC’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
A native of Carrollton, Ga., Brown led the Moccasins to a 51-15 record, including SSC and South Region championships and a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship. She was named SSC Pitcher of the Year, NFCA First-Team All-America, All-South Region, and Most Valuable Player of the South Region Championship.
The senior notched a 34-10 record in her final campaign and led the conference with a 0.79 ERA. She pitched 37 complete games, including 15 shutouts. Brown struck out 291 batters over 292.1 innings and held opponents to a .154 batting average.
A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Brown is active in her local church. She served an internship at a local elementary school this spring. Having concluded her career at FSC, Brown will turn her sights to the National Pro Fastpitch league, where she will pitch for the Michigan Ice this summer. This fall, she plans to return to school to begin work on her Master’s degree.
Brown is the second FSC student-athlete to be named Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, joining former softball player Katie Wolfe (2001-02). Having also been selected the 2006-07 SSC Female Athlete of the Year, Brown is just the second student-athlete to earn that award and Scholar-Athlete recognition in the same year. Rollins women’s golfer Charlotte Campbell won both awards in 2003-04.
A junior, Rittenauer carries a 3.95 grade point average at Barry. The political science and international studies major was named ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District and will be eligible for the publication’s At-Large Academic All-America Team, which will be announced later this month. Rittenauer was also named Barry’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
A native of Offenau, Germany, Rittenauer led the Buccaneers to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis Championship. He posted an 11-1 record at #1 singles and teamed with Victor Rodriguez for a 10-3 mark at #2 doubles. He earned First Team All-Sunshine State Conference honors in singles and was a second team selection in doubles. He was also named an ITA All-America singles selection, having finished the season as the fourth-ranked men’s player in Division II.
Rittenauer was involved in a number of community service activities, including assisting with fundraising efforts for NCAA Division II’s annual campaign to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also served as a member of Barry’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and contributed to a holiday party for children who were victims of domestic violence.
Rittenauer is the second Barry student-athlete to be named Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Former tennis standout Thomas Hipp garnered the honor in 2004-05.