INDIANAPOLIS – University of Indianapolis senior Kyleigh Turner (Muncie, Ind./Cowan) and Northern Kentucky University senior Evan McDole (Cold Spring, Ky./Bishop Brossart) have been selected to receive the 2009-10 Richard F. Scharf Paragon Awards.

 

The awards, bestowed annually by the Great Lakes Valley Conference to one male and one female student athlete that display academic excellence, athletic ability and achievement, character and leadership, will be presented to Turner and McDole at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car GLVC Awards Banquet in St. Louis on May 25.

Turner, a three-time All-GLVC First Team selection, graduated from UIndy as the career and season record holder for digs, excelling for the Greyhounds as a libero. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in business education and finished her college career with a 3.94 cumulative grade point average.

 

The 2009 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Third Team selection guided the Greyhounds to the school’s second GLVC Championship and to their first NCAA regional crown. She was honored at the NCAA D-II Elite Eight with the inaugural Elite 88 award given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site.

 

The Greyhounds’ most valuable player was also twice awarded the team’s mental attitude award and was named an All-Midwest Region player as a junior and senior. In addition to her All-America honor as a senior, Turner was also an All-America Honorable Mention pick in 2008.

 

She completed her career with 2,574 career digs, over 1,000 more than the previous school record holder and finished ninth all-time in service aces at UIndy. Turner was in the top-two in the GLVC in digs the past three seasons and the Greyhounds were 124-26 with Turner anchoring the back line, a school record for wins in a four-year span.

 

Turner earned the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award as a junior and senior, was a ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team pick in 2009 and will be a four-time Academic All-GLVC honoree. She recently earned the Richard E. Schrieir Scholarship and was named a recipient of a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

 

In addition to her achievements on the court and in the classroom, Turner is a four-year member of the UIndy Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a member of the Alpha Chi, Delta Mu Delta and Phi Alpha Epsilon Honor Societies, the treasurer of the American Marketing Association, a volunteer volleyball assistant coach for Munciana and mentored students at Laurelwood Communtiy in 2009.

 

Turner is the third UIndy student-athlete to be recognized as a Paragon Award honoree. She joins former Greyhound basketball player Elizabeth Ramsey (2000-01) and tennis player Scott Riggle (1998-99).

 

 

McDole, a two-time captain of the Norse baseball team, has helped guide Northern Kentucky to a pair of GLVC Championships and to three consecutive trips to the NCAA Midwest Regional. He is graduating with a degree in accounting and posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.816.

 

The standout first baseman hit .316 with 25 RBIs as a freshman for the Norse and returned in his sophomore year to guide NKU to the GLVC title by hitting .336 with 29 RBIs.

 

McDole was named an ABCA Third-Team All-American, the ABCA Midwest Player of the Year and the GLVC Player of the Year in 2009 after guiding the Norse to their second consecutive conference crown. He hit .355 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs, while also being named the recipient of the ABCA Gold Glove award.

 

He is currently hitting .342 with 63 RBIs and led the Norse to the top of the GLVC East Division standings and to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional. McDole has recently been named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team and is an All-GLVC Second Team honoree.

 

McDole was named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American as a junior and will be a four-time Academic All-GLVC selection.

 

On campus, McDole has selflessly participated in Kids Night Out and is a Halloween Hoopla Leader. He has also donated his time in the community by making visits to the Children’s Hospital and serving as a reader at Mary Queen of Heaven Elementary School. McDole is also a Friend of Jaclyn team leader and a Caring Bridge participant.

 

McDole is the seventh student-athlete from Northern Kentucky to earn the Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award and first male recipient since Kevin Listerman was selected for the award in 2000. The other two male recipients for the Norse include Andy Listerman (1997-98) and Tom Svoboda (1991-92).

 

The Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award was established prior to the 1990-91 season in honor of Richard F. Scharf, Commissioner Emeritus of the GLVC.