2024 Deans' Award recipients and presenters.

General 4/30/2024 9:20:00 AM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

WSU Recognizes Top Student-Athletes At Golden W's

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University Department of Athletics honored all Warrior student-athletes during the Golden W's held last evening at the Community Arts Auditorium.

Eight Deans' Award winners were also recognized for having the highest cumulative grade-point average among all student-athletes in that particular college:

* Mike Ilitch School of Business - Junior men's tennis student-athlete Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany / Altkönigschule Kronberg) is the 2023-24 Deans' Award recipient from the Mike Ilitch School of Business. A Finance major, Drenth has earned a 4.00 term GPA all five semesters at WSU.  The 2022-23 WSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year, he finished as the No. 2 ranked doubles team (with Daniel Grey) in the nation by the ITA a year ago to earn ITA Doubles All-America accolades for the second straight season. Drenth was selected as the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Division 2 Men's Tennis Academic All-American of the Year and First Team Academic All-American for the 2022-23 school year. He ranks third in school history with 79 career singles wins, and second in doubles victories with 94.

* College of Education - Logan Potts (Norton Shores, Mich. / Mona Shores), a senior on the women's golf team, was selected to receive the Deans' Award from the College of Education. The Special Education major has earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) accolades all seven semesters with a perfect 4.00 term GPA three times. Potts will be a three-time (2022, 2023 and 2024) GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Teams selection. She received WGCA All-American Scholar honors in both 2022 and 2023, and garnered Academic At-Large All-District honors by College Sports Communicators a year ago. Potts has played in 19 rounds and has twice finished in the top 25 in eight tournaments.

* College of Engineering - Senior Mikaela Senkus (Macomb, Mich. / Utica Academy for International Studies (Eisenhower)), a diver on the women's swimming team is the 2023-24 Deans' Award honoree from the College of Engineering. A Civil Engineering major, she has been on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all nine semesters, including four terms with a perfect 4.00 GPA. Senkus was the national runner-up on both the one-meter and three-meter boards at the NCAA Championships last month, after earning GLIAC Diver of the Year accolades for the second consecutive season in February. She was voted First Team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators for the second year in a row earlier this month.

* College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts - Junior Natalie Davies (Chelsea, Mich.), a member of the women's cross country and track & field squad, is the 2023-24 recipient of the Deans' Award from the College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts.  A Journalism major, Davies has achieved Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) status all five semesters, including three times with a perfect 4.00 term GPA. She has earned seven letters at WSU (three in cross country and two each in indoor track and outdoor track).

* Honors College - Junior women's volleyball player Ella Uganski (Jenison, Mich.) is the 2023-24 Deans' Award recipient from the Honors College. An Exercise and Sport Science major, she has earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) status all five semesters, including two terms with a perfect 4.00 semester GPA. Uganski garnered CSC Academic All-District honors last fall and will be named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for a second consecutive year this spring. She has played in 127 career sets totaling 195 kills and 99 total blocks (14 solo, 85 assisted).

* College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - Redshirt sophomore men's cross country runner Eli DiCerbo (Clinton Township, Mich. / Fraser [Macomb Mathematics Science and Technology Center (MMSTC)]) is the 2023-24 recipient of the Deans' Award from CLAS. A Mathematics major, DiCerbo earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) accolades all five semesters with a perfect 4.00 term GPA four times.  As a freshman in 2021, he helped lead the Warriors to a 15th-place team finish at the NCAA Championships. DiCerbo earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors after finishing in 22nd place, along with being named the squad's Newcomer of the Year. He has only ran in one meet over the last two years due to injuries.

* College of Nursing - Women's basketball redshirt senior Becca Fugate (Holly, Mich.) is the 2023-24 Deans' Award honoree from the College of Nursing. She finished her career first in school history in games played (131), second in triples made (180) and 12th in points scored (1,131) after scoring in double figures 56 times. Fugate was on the Academic Honor Roll all nine semesters, including seven terms earning Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) status. She will be a four-year member of the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team, and twice received Academic All-District honors by College Sports Communicators.

* School of Social Work - Softball junior Lauren Fritz (Commerce, Mich. Waterford Kettering (Oakland CC)) is the 2023-24 Deans' Award recipient from the School of Social Work. Fritz joined the Warriors last fall after spending her first two seasons at Oakland Community College. This spring she has appeared in 17 games and made some outstanding defensive plays in right field. Fritz was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) for Fall 2023.

Sixty-two (62) student-athletes recorded a perfect 4.00 term GPA for the Fall 2023 semester with over 78 percent of Warrior student-athletes having a term GPA above a 3.00 for the Fall 2023 semester. The cumulative GPA for all student-athletes is 3.42 with every team having a cumulative GPA of at least 3.17.

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Players Mentioned

Eli DiCerbo: 5' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore

Cedric Drenth: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Grey: 6' 0"; Senior

#4 Becca Fugate: G; 5' 7"; Redshirt Senior

Logan Potts: 5' 7"; Senior

Mikaela Senkus: Diving; 5' 9"; Senior

Natalie Davies: Distance; 5' 6"; Junior; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor

#13 Lauren Fritz: RF; 5' 5"; Junior; R/R

#14 Ella Uganski: MB; 6' 0"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Eli DiCerbo
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore

Cedric Drenth
: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Grey
: 6' 0"; Senior

#4 Becca Fugate
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Senior
: G

Logan Potts
: 5' 7"; Senior

Mikaela Senkus
: 5' 9"; Senior
: Diving

Natalie Davies
: 5' 6"; Junior; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Distance

#13 Lauren Fritz
: 5' 5"; Junior; R/R
: RF

#14 Ella Uganski
: 6' 0"; Senior
: MB