LSC Announces Academic Athletes
By: Melanie Robotham, LSC Assistant Commissioner
Updated: June 11, 2012
RICHARDSON, Texas - Angelo State baseball standout Zack Cohen and Texas Woman's softball star Bailey Vrazel were selected as the 2012 Lone Star Conference Fred Jacoby Academic Athletes of the Year. The awards were announced Monday following a vote of the league's sports information directors.
ASU's Cohen and TWU's Vrazel, who both played shortstop on their respective teams, are only the fifth recipients of the award bearing the name of Jacoby, the long-time LSC commissioner who passed away in March 2008. The nominees included the Academic Player of the Year in each sport as selected during the year.
Cohen earned the most votes for LSC top male academic athlete, followed by a duo from Incarnate Word -soccer standout Chris Fidler and track & field star Howard Gill - along with Texas A&M-Commerce football standout Taylor Fore.
Vrazel claimed female academic athlete honors in front of ASU track & field star Cathryn Rittenberry, Tarleton State basketball standout Shelby Adamson and Abilene Christian volleyball star Jennie Hutt.
A senior biology major from Houston, Texas, Cohen led the Rams to a 40-17 record and back to the NCAA Division II Championship field. He started the final 49 games of the season after returning from an injury and recorded 39 hits, 24 RBI and eight doubles.
Vrazel, a sophomore from Danbury, Texas, is majoring in kinesiology. She started all 54 games this season for the Pioneers and led the team in batting average (.414), runs (61), walks (31), on-base percentage (.514) and stolen bases (75). For the second consecutive year, Vrazel led all collegiate softball players in steals and broke her own TWU and Lone Star Conference single-season record for stolen bases. She also set a new single-season school records in runs and walks.
LSC MALE ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF YEAR (Sport, Name, School, Points): Baseball, Zach Cohen, Angelo State, 13; Soccer, Chris Fidler, Incarnate Word, 12; Track & Field, Howard Gill, Incarnate Word, 10; Football, Taylor Fore, Texas A&M-Commerce, 10; Basketball, Andrew Davis, Texas A&M-Commerce, 6; Tennis, Thomas Peixoto, Cameron, 5; Golf, Adam Carpenter, Abilene Christian, 2; Cross Country, Erik Forrister, Abilene Christian, 1.
LSC FEMALE ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF YEAR (Sport, Name, School, Points): Softball, Bailey Vrazel, Texas Woman's, 16; Track & Field, Cathryn Rittenberry, Angelo State, 15; Basketball, Shelby Adamson, Tarleton State, 12; Volleyball, Jennie Hutt, Abilene Christian, 11; Tennis, Micah Hermsdorf, Abilene Christian, 5; Soccer, Julie Coppedge, Abilene Christian, 3; Cross Country, Emeline Crutcher, Angelo State, 2; Golf, Sharon Lau, Tarleton State, 2.
ASU's Cohen and TWU's Vrazel, who both played shortstop on their respective teams, are only the fifth recipients of the award bearing the name of Jacoby, the long-time LSC commissioner who passed away in March 2008. The nominees included the Academic Player of the Year in each sport as selected during the year.
Cohen earned the most votes for LSC top male academic athlete, followed by a duo from Incarnate Word -soccer standout Chris Fidler and track & field star Howard Gill - along with Texas A&M-Commerce football standout Taylor Fore.
Vrazel claimed female academic athlete honors in front of ASU track & field star Cathryn Rittenberry, Tarleton State basketball standout Shelby Adamson and Abilene Christian volleyball star Jennie Hutt.
A senior biology major from Houston, Texas, Cohen led the Rams to a 40-17 record and back to the NCAA Division II Championship field. He started the final 49 games of the season after returning from an injury and recorded 39 hits, 24 RBI and eight doubles.
Vrazel, a sophomore from Danbury, Texas, is majoring in kinesiology. She started all 54 games this season for the Pioneers and led the team in batting average (.414), runs (61), walks (31), on-base percentage (.514) and stolen bases (75). For the second consecutive year, Vrazel led all collegiate softball players in steals and broke her own TWU and Lone Star Conference single-season record for stolen bases. She also set a new single-season school records in runs and walks.
LSC MALE ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF YEAR (Sport, Name, School, Points): Baseball, Zach Cohen, Angelo State, 13; Soccer, Chris Fidler, Incarnate Word, 12; Track & Field, Howard Gill, Incarnate Word, 10; Football, Taylor Fore, Texas A&M-Commerce, 10; Basketball, Andrew Davis, Texas A&M-Commerce, 6; Tennis, Thomas Peixoto, Cameron, 5; Golf, Adam Carpenter, Abilene Christian, 2; Cross Country, Erik Forrister, Abilene Christian, 1.
LSC FEMALE ACADEMIC ATHLETE OF YEAR (Sport, Name, School, Points): Softball, Bailey Vrazel, Texas Woman's, 16; Track & Field, Cathryn Rittenberry, Angelo State, 15; Basketball, Shelby Adamson, Tarleton State, 12; Volleyball, Jennie Hutt, Abilene Christian, 11; Tennis, Micah Hermsdorf, Abilene Christian, 5; Soccer, Julie Coppedge, Abilene Christian, 3; Cross Country, Emeline Crutcher, Angelo State, 2; Golf, Sharon Lau, Tarleton State, 2.
