TicketsCINCINNATI - The American Athletic Conference has announced its 2017-18 Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year with three University of Cincinnati Bearcats being selected for honors in their respective sports. UC leads the way with three individuals being honored with three other schools receiving a pair of accolades.
The honors earned belong to Loretta Blaut, the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Outdoor Track & Field, Vanessa Gilles, the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Soccer, and lacrosse player Lauren Hudson, the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for At-Large Sports. By being selected for these awards, each student-athlete will receive a $2,000 scholarship which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.
Starting this academic year, the American has selected one honoree from each sponsored sport (as well as at-large selections for member institutions in sports the AAC doesn't sponsor). In previous years, the conference had announced one recipient from each school, regardless of sport. The trio of Bearcats brings UC's haul to six total in the past four years following honors attained by Megan Cravenor (soccer) in 2014-15, Emma Roberson (volleyball) in 2015-16 and Juliana Madzia (cross country) in 2016-17. Madzia also was named the recipient of the 2016-17 Commissioner's Postgraduate Leadership Award.
Blaut is currently in her final week of competition for indoor track and field as the two-time AAC indoor high jump champion is set to travel to College Station, Texas, this weekend to compete in the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Ranked #5 nationally with a clearance of 1.87m (6-01.25), Blaut will be seeking her fourth USTFCCCA All-America honor after placing ninth at the 2016 indoor meet before placing sixth in each of the past two outdoor meets. Her best of 1.87m came at the AAC Championships at the end of February and placed her into a tie for the school record while also breaking the meet record at the same time. Following the meet, Blaut was honored with the Most Outstanding Performance Award by the AAC after clearance was the fifth-best mark attained on the weekend across all NCAA divisions.
Gilles, who played her final season for UC this past fall before signing to play professionally with Apollon Ladies in Cyprus, anchored a defense that continued to improve each year, allowing a fewer number of goals than the previous season. A central defender, Gilles started and played 82 career matches, tying her for the seventh-most matches started in program history. She added 17 career goals and two assists for 36 points with five of her goals going down as game-winning strikes. The 2017 American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection, Gilles led a senior class that recorded 40 career shutouts, the most of any senior class in program history. The co-defensive honor was not the only award earned by Gilles in 2017. She was also named United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region First Team to become the first Bearcats player since 2002 to earn a regional honor. The 2016 AAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Gilles was a four-time conference team honoree, twice being named first team to go with one second team (2015) and one all-rookie (2014) accolade. While playing her final collegiate season, she recorded a perfect 4.0 semester GPA to earn TopCat honors once again.
Hudson had started and played on the defense in all six of UC's games so far this season, helping the Bearcats to a 5-1 start that has included their current five-game winning streak. The five wins for the team is fifth-most in a season in 11 varsity campaigns for the Bearcats while the current winning streak ties for the longest in program history (2014). Hudson has helped the UC defense limit opponents to 62 totals (10.3 goals per game), the fourth-lowest total in program history, while pushing the ball forward for a Bearcats offense that has scored 84 goals (14.0 per game), the most scored in the opening six games of a season in program history. Hudson and the lacrosse team will play at home Thursday at 3 p.m. inside Gettler Stadium when Campbell comes to town. A win Thursday would give UC its longest winning streak in program history. Academically, Hudson was one of a school-record 50 Bearcats that posted a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester.
The AAC will announce the men's award winners tomorrow (March 7) at 2 p.m. ET.
2017-18 AAC Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year (by sport)
Basketball • Kitija Laksa (USF)
Cross Country • Lauren Bartels (Tulane)
Golf • Megan Thothong (Houston)
Indoor Track & Field • Rosie Chamberlain (UCF)
Outdoor Track & Field • Loretta Blaut (Cincinnati)
Rowing • Hannah Vissers (Tulsa)
Soccer • Vanessa Gilles (Cincinnati)
Softball • Emily Watson (Tulsa)
Swimming & Diving • Micaela Bouter (Houston)
Tennis • Monica Matias (UCF)
Volleyball • Mikaela Raudsepp (Wichita State)
At-Large • Charlotte Veitner (UConn/Field Hockey) & Lauren Hudson (Cincinnati/Lacrosse)
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year • Mikaela Raudsepp (Wichita State)
The honors earned belong to Loretta Blaut, the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Outdoor Track & Field, Vanessa Gilles, the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Soccer, and lacrosse player Lauren Hudson, the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for At-Large Sports. By being selected for these awards, each student-athlete will receive a $2,000 scholarship which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.
Starting this academic year, the American has selected one honoree from each sponsored sport (as well as at-large selections for member institutions in sports the AAC doesn't sponsor). In previous years, the conference had announced one recipient from each school, regardless of sport. The trio of Bearcats brings UC's haul to six total in the past four years following honors attained by Megan Cravenor (soccer) in 2014-15, Emma Roberson (volleyball) in 2015-16 and Juliana Madzia (cross country) in 2016-17. Madzia also was named the recipient of the 2016-17 Commissioner's Postgraduate Leadership Award.
Blaut is currently in her final week of competition for indoor track and field as the two-time AAC indoor high jump champion is set to travel to College Station, Texas, this weekend to compete in the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Ranked #5 nationally with a clearance of 1.87m (6-01.25), Blaut will be seeking her fourth USTFCCCA All-America honor after placing ninth at the 2016 indoor meet before placing sixth in each of the past two outdoor meets. Her best of 1.87m came at the AAC Championships at the end of February and placed her into a tie for the school record while also breaking the meet record at the same time. Following the meet, Blaut was honored with the Most Outstanding Performance Award by the AAC after clearance was the fifth-best mark attained on the weekend across all NCAA divisions.
Gilles, who played her final season for UC this past fall before signing to play professionally with Apollon Ladies in Cyprus, anchored a defense that continued to improve each year, allowing a fewer number of goals than the previous season. A central defender, Gilles started and played 82 career matches, tying her for the seventh-most matches started in program history. She added 17 career goals and two assists for 36 points with five of her goals going down as game-winning strikes. The 2017 American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection, Gilles led a senior class that recorded 40 career shutouts, the most of any senior class in program history. The co-defensive honor was not the only award earned by Gilles in 2017. She was also named United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region First Team to become the first Bearcats player since 2002 to earn a regional honor. The 2016 AAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Gilles was a four-time conference team honoree, twice being named first team to go with one second team (2015) and one all-rookie (2014) accolade. While playing her final collegiate season, she recorded a perfect 4.0 semester GPA to earn TopCat honors once again.
Hudson had started and played on the defense in all six of UC's games so far this season, helping the Bearcats to a 5-1 start that has included their current five-game winning streak. The five wins for the team is fifth-most in a season in 11 varsity campaigns for the Bearcats while the current winning streak ties for the longest in program history (2014). Hudson has helped the UC defense limit opponents to 62 totals (10.3 goals per game), the fourth-lowest total in program history, while pushing the ball forward for a Bearcats offense that has scored 84 goals (14.0 per game), the most scored in the opening six games of a season in program history. Hudson and the lacrosse team will play at home Thursday at 3 p.m. inside Gettler Stadium when Campbell comes to town. A win Thursday would give UC its longest winning streak in program history. Academically, Hudson was one of a school-record 50 Bearcats that posted a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester.
The AAC will announce the men's award winners tomorrow (March 7) at 2 p.m. ET.
2017-18 AAC Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year (by sport)
Basketball • Kitija Laksa (USF)
Cross Country • Lauren Bartels (Tulane)
Golf • Megan Thothong (Houston)
Indoor Track & Field • Rosie Chamberlain (UCF)
Outdoor Track & Field • Loretta Blaut (Cincinnati)
Rowing • Hannah Vissers (Tulsa)
Soccer • Vanessa Gilles (Cincinnati)
Softball • Emily Watson (Tulsa)
Swimming & Diving • Micaela Bouter (Houston)
Tennis • Monica Matias (UCF)
Volleyball • Mikaela Raudsepp (Wichita State)
At-Large • Charlotte Veitner (UConn/Field Hockey) & Lauren Hudson (Cincinnati/Lacrosse)
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year • Mikaela Raudsepp (Wichita State)