Outstanding Athletes
Football player Madison Ross ’16 and swimmer Lauren Wheeler ’16 are the 2015 Pete Cawthon Outstanding Male Athlete and Gene Day Outstanding Female Athlete. The awards confirm the coaching staff’s decision in 2013 when the two athletes received the Tim Jubela Outstanding Freshman Awards.
Ross, a three-year starting running back, earned numerous accolades in the 2014 season, including First-Team All-SCAC honors after finishing the season second in the conference in rushing yards, averaging 6.2 yards-per-carry. He also excelled off the field and was selected to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team, making him just the third player in Austin College football history to earn that honor (joining Gene Branum ’82 in 1981 and Joe Fox ’00 in 1999.) Ross is one of only 25 players in NCAA Division III to earn First-Team honors for the 2014 season, and one of seven juniors on the First Team. Ross also was selected by his teammates for the 2015 William B. Traylor Award for hard work and dedication. His 965 rushing yards in 2014 are the most of any Austin College player since Aaron Kernek ’01 in the 2000 season.
Wheeler has earned All-SCAC honors in each of her three seasons with the ’Roos. This year, she became the first swimmer in Austin College history to win an individual conference championship, taking the gold at the SCAC Championship Meet in the 100-yard backstroke. Her time of 57.99 in the event broke her own school record. She also received the 2015 Hannah Award for Outstanding Female Swimmer, an honor she has now received in all three years of competition at Austin College.
Top Newcomers
Erin Eckart of women’s soccer and Collin Vu of the men’s swim team are the 2015 Tim Jubela Outstanding Freshman Award recipients. Eckart was an All-SCAC selection, and Vu broke seven school records in his first season, also earning Austin College’s Hannah Award for Outstanding Male Swimmer.
Lauren Wheeler—Mary Wright Presidential Scholarship
Madison Ross—Austin College Campus Club Scholarship, Emily A. Coe Memorial Scholarship, John B. Hunt Scholarship, John D. Moseley Alumni Scholarship, Marjorie Stempel Memorial
Scholarship, Will Mann Richardson Prize for Outstanding Scholarship and Service
Erin Eckart—John D. Moseley Alumni Scholarship
Collin Vu—Founders Scholarship
Greenwalt Creates Award-Winning Video
Taylor Greenwalt ’15 created videos for each of the ’Roo sports teams, unveiling new Adidas uniforms for the 2014-2015 academic year. His football video received a Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Gold Award in the student video category. Taylor graduated with a major in media studies and a minor in German. See his winning video—and other team reveals—under Athletics on the Austin College YouTube channel.
Taylor Greenwalt—Austin College Grant