Oklahoma State University Athletics
Two OSU Student-Athletes Honored For Academics
November 04, 2010 | Cowgirl Soccer
Nov. 4, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. - A pair of OSU student-athletes have been honored for their academic improvement with the announcement of the winners of the Academic Momentum Award presented by the Scholar-Baller program in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports.
Cowgirl soccer standout AD Franch was one of 11 female student-athletes selected, while Cowboy runner Girma Mecheso was one of nine males chosen from colleges and universities across the country.
A goalkeeper for OSU's nationally ranked squad, Franch was recently named an All-Big 12 selection. Last Saturday, Mecheso won the Big 12 individual title while guiding OSU to its third-straight conference title.
Winning nominations included stories of: overcoming learning disabilities to progress academically; becoming the first in their family to graduate with a degree from college or a university; being an international student who had to persevere through hardships both academically and economically; and organizing local community service involvement within their community.
The NCAS is an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues. Established in 1985, the overall mission of the NCAS is "to create a better society by focusing on educational attainment and using the power appeal of sport to positively affect social change."
Established in 1995, the Scholar-Baller movement evolved in response to concerns that the student-athlete's athletics role increasingly superseded the student role. In order to address this issue, the founding members of Scholar-Baller developed a groundbreaking program to bridge the gap between education and sport utilizing student-athletes' passion for entertainment and athletics. As a result, the Scholar-Baller program has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.
Each honoree will receive a recognition certificate and authentic Scholar-Baller patch. In addition, the winners of each region will receive a Thinkman or Thinkwoman trophy for their academic performance.
