Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2017

Cedarville Magazine | 29 Women’s Cross Country Honored With Top Awards Olivia Esbenshade ’17, Olivia Kundo ’20, and Head Coach Jeff Bolender ’91 took home top honors from the 2016 Ohio NCAA Division II/National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Cross Country season. Esbenshade was named Runner of the Year, Kundo earned Freshman Runner of the Year, and Bolender was recognized as Coach of the Year. The trio achieved the honors in voting by the state’s cross country coaches. Esbenshade, from Marietta, Pennsylvania, placed sixth out of 295 competitors in the All-Ohio Championship. Cedarville finished third of 43 schools — the team’s best performance since winning the trophy in 2008. Esbenshade later won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) title. She helped the Lady Jackets to their first-ever NCAA Division II Championship, where they placed 11th in the country. Kundo, fromLiberty Center, Ohio, finished 21st in the All-Ohio. She was eighth in the league meet for All-G-MAC recognition. Bolender’s award is his third of the year. He was the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II Midwest Region Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Jackets to a runner- up finish. Bolender also grabbed G-MAC Coach of the Year honors after Cedarville retained the conference trophy for the fifth consecutive season. NCAA Recognizes Cedarville With Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence With an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 93 percent, Cedarville tied for 11th in the nation out of 323 Division II schools. Cedarville University is one of 26 Division II schools in the country honored by the NCAA with its prestigious Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence. The program commends institutions for achieving four-year ASRs of 90 percent or higher. The ASR calculates how student- athletes are making satisfactory progress toward a degree. “We were so pleased to learn that Cedarville University has again placed near the top of the annual rankings for academic success and graduation rates for NCAA Division II schools,” said University Registrar Fran Campbell. “ T h i s i m p r e s s i v e achievement clearly reflects the strong emphasis that Cedarville athletics places on academic excellence, as well as the quality of our athletic program. What a great benefit for our student-athletes!” Davis & Elkins College, with an ASR of 91 percent, is the other current Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) member to be listed. Two universities joining the G-MAC in 2017–18 — Hillsdale College (98) and the University of Findlay (90) —were also honored for having ASRs of at least 90 percent. Cedarville was also recognized for its Federal Graduation Rate (FGR). The FGR computes the percentage of student-athletes who earned their degree in the six-year window from the 2009– 10 academic year through 2014–15. Cedarville is tied for 18th nationally in FGR at 74 percent. “The ASR and FGR are more indicators of the quality education that our student-athletes receive at Cedarville University,” said Christopher Cross, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance. “Thanks to our excellent faculty, who challenge our student- athletes academically,” he added. “They along with the staff make the 1,000 days our student-athletes spend on campus a wonderful educational experience.” Olivia Esbenshade ’17 Olivia Kundo ’20 Jeff Bolender ’91