April 14, 2009

BAY CITY, Mich. - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the Winter 2009 recipients of the GLIAC Commissioner's Awards for academic and athletic excellence. The awards, sponsored by Meijer, Incorporated, are presented after the Fall, Winter, and Spring athletic seasons to six male and six female student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. The awards were announced in conjunction with the release of the GLIAC Winter All-Academic Teams in which student-athletes were honored for their efforts.

The six female student-athletes to receive the Winter 2009 GLIAC Commissioner's Awards are: Jaclyn Armstrong of Lake Superior State University; Katie Cezat of Hillsdale College; Ashley St. Andrew of Wayne State University; Megan Starnes of Northwood University; Jenna Thayer of Grand Valley State University and Katie Wysocky of Michigan Technological University.

The six male student-athletes to receive the Winter 2009 GLIAC Commissioner's Awards are: Cauli Bedran and James Ekleberry of Wayne State; Thomas Buxton of Tiffin University; Steve Genther of Saginaw Valley State University; Greg Jarvis of the University of Indianapolis and Sean McGraw of Ashland University.

"These 12 student-athletes exemplify the NCAA Division II philosophy of balance between academics and athletics by excelling in both areas," stated GLIAC Commissioner Tom Brown. "Our conference, along with Meijer Incorporated, feels that it is important to recognize these hard working student-athletes for their outstanding performances in the classroom and on the field of play. The GLIAC would like to thank Meijer for their generous sponsorship of the 2009 Commissioner's Awards and for helping us acknowledge the exceptional accomplishments of this group."

Ashley St. Andrew (Grand Rapids, Mich./Jenison) became the first national champion in the history of the Wayne State women's swimming and diving program, winning the 500-yard and 1000-yard freestyle events at the 2009 NCAA Division II Championships. She collected six All-America accolades in total, finishing second in the 1,650-yard freestyle and fourth in the 200-yard freestyle, and participated in two relays. St. Andrew won three individual titles at the GLIAC Championships, including her third consecutive title in the 1,000-yard freestyle and her second career title in the 500-yard freestyle. She also won the 200-yard freestyle for the first time and joined two championship relays. St. Andrew, who is a two-time GLIAC All-Academic Team selection, was voted to the 2008 ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District IV College Division Women's At-Large Second Team. She has a 3.62 cumulative GPA while studying in Wayne State's pharmacy program.

Cauli Bedran (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was a six-time All-American at the 2009 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships, joining three First Team relays and earning three individual Honorable Mention accolades. He also anchored two GLIAC championship relays and placed fourth in the 100-yard backstroke, tied for fourth in the 50-yard freestyle, and sixth in the 100-yard freestyle. He has garnered 17 All-America awards in his career, has been named to the WSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term gpa 3.5+) every semester, and serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Bedran is also a two-time GLIAC All-Academic Team selection who carries a 3.74 cumulative GPA in political science.

James Ekleberry (Rochester Hills, Mich./Avondale) competed in all three long-distance freestyle events at the 2009 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships, placing 18th in the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard freestyles and 24th in the 50-yard freestyle. He placed sixth in both the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard at the 2009 GLIAC Championships, and finished 13th in the 500-yard freestyle. Ekleberry owns a 3.66 GPA in political science, and is a two-time GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree. He has maintained a grade-point average above 3.0 every semester at Wayne State.