UMaine to Honor 261 Student-Athletes for Academic Success at Feb. 25 Ceremony

The University of Maine announced 261 student-athletes will be honored and recognized for their academic success at the Scholar-Athlete Recognition Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25, 2014 in Wells Conference Center.

At the ceremony, 195 student-athletes will be recognized as scholar-athletes for achieving a 3.0 or higher grade point average for the 2013 year and/or having a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Sixty-six first-year student-athletes will be honored as rising stars for earning a 3.0 GPA or higher in their first semester at UMaine.

Now in its 25th year, the awards have been presented annually since 1989 and 3,189 medallions have been awarded. This is the 10th year in a row that more than half of the university’s student-athletes have been honored. The event is sponsored by the University of Maine Foundation, University Credit Union, the M Club and the Alumni Association.

“Recognizing over half of our student-athletes as scholar-athletes is an impressive accomplishment,” says UMaine Director of Athletics Karlton Creech. “This group exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete, excelling in both the classroom and in their sport. I congratulate them on this outstanding achievement.”

At the reception, UMaine will honor the student-athletes and also announce the annual recipients of the M Club Dean Smith Award, presented to the top male and female scholar-athlete. Team Maine will also be announced, honoring the sophomore, junior or senior from each team who has achieved the highest grade point average for the 2013 calendar year.

All scholar-athletes will receive a medallion, the color of which represents the number of years a recipient has earned the award. This year, 97 student-athletes will receive bronze medals signifying the first time they have received the award, 56 will receive silver medals signifying the second time they have won the award, and 36 will receive gold medals signifying the third time they have received the award. Four student-athletes will receive double gold medals for their fourth award.

A list of the student-athletes to be honored is available online.