By Nicholas Huenefeld/OCCAC Sports Information
Springfield, Ohio---Blaze Glenn and Brooke Gyori have been named the 2016-17 Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) male and female scholar-athletes of the year.
BLAZE GLENN
Glenn, a freshman infielder for the Sinclair Community College baseball team, achieved a 4.00 GPA in the classroom this year, while making the OCCAC's All-Academic team and the Dean's List at Sinclair in the fall and spring semesters.
On the field, Glenn helped lead his team to an OCCAC championship and his team advanced to the Region XII championship game before finishing as the runner-up. Individually, he was named First Team All-OCCAC and First Team All-Region XII.
In the community, Glenn donated blood with his team during the annual blood drive and volunteered at the Buddy Walk, Strides Against Breast Cancer, Sinclair Veterans Day Walk, Martin Luther King Jr. Walk and Light the Night. He also helped serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Dayton Boys and Girls Club.
BROOKE GYORI
Gyori, a sophomore defensive specialist for the Owens Community College women's volleyball team, also achieved a 4.00 GPA in the classroom this year. While becoming a two-time OCCAC All-Academic team selection this year, Gyori was honored by the Owens Community College Board of Trustees for her outstanding performance as a student-athlete.
The two-time team captain, Gyori led the Owens volleyball team to an OCCAC championship, a Region XII District F title and a third place finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament. Individually, she was named First Team All-OCCAC, OCCAC Player of the Year, First Team All-Region XII, Region XII District F Player of the Year, NJCAA First Team All-American and AVCA First Team All-American. She also earned spots on the Region XII District F and NJCAA Division II All-Tournament teams.
Gyori was the first student-athlete in Owens history to garner AVCA All-American recognition. During the season, she was a two-time OCCAC player of the week, and she became the first defensive player to win player of the year in the conference since 2009.
Following the season, Gyori signed with NCAA Division I University of Tennessee at Martin.
In the community, Gyori volunteered at St. Vincent's Hospital, the ALS walk, the Monroe volleyball camp, the Coaches for Coaches camp and ran the Owens 5K. She coached a 17U volleyball travel team and was a key figure in the Owens volleyball fundraiser for Children's Medical Missions (CMM) West this past fall.
NOTES
This is the inaugural year for this award, which has the following requirements: signed the NJCAA eligibility form for the current academic year, participated in at least one contest, earned above a 3.60 GPA for the current academic year, passed at least 24 credit hours during the academic year and engaged in community service during the current academic year. The voting criteria consists of current GPA (50 percent), community service hours and projects (25 percent) and athletic achievements (25 percent).