Grantham, PA – This week Messiah College Athletics announced the finalists for the 2015-16 Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. A male and female athlete from each season was selected as finalist and at the end of the 2016 spring season a male and female winner will be named.
Nominees are collected from head coaches and must carry at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (GPA) while proving to be outstanding performers in their sport.
The six finalists are listed below, along with a brief snapshot of their accomplishments:
Women's FinalistsTasha Becker – Women's Cross Country (Fall) – Becker carries a 3.60 GPA as a social work major. She has consistently been one of the top performers for the Falcons, claiming cross country All-Conference honors in each of her four years, including a 10th place finish in her first-year campaign. Becker has also competed in both indoor and outdoor track and field, earning four All-Conference honors in distance events.
Anna McArdle – Women's Swimming (Winter) – McArdle carries a 3.89 GPA as a marketing major. She currently holds the Messiah school record in the 200 breaststroke (2:31.64). McArdle has earned eight individual All-Conference honors and been a part of seven relays that have finished as All-Conference. Out of the pool, McArdle has helped lead swimming lessons for the Bethesda Mission after school program.
Courtney Allen – Softball (Spring) – Allen carries a 3.94 GPA as an accounting major. She was named CoSIDA Academic All-District in both 2014 and 2015 and Academic All-American in 2015. Allen is an all around player; she has played three different positions in her career while batting .376 with eight home runs and 73 runs batted in. Allen was named First Team All-MAC Commonwealth and Third Team All-Region in each of the last two seasons. Off the field, Allen serves as the president of SAAC, a member of the FCA Leadership team, and as an intern at Rio Missions in Panama.
Men's FinalistsBenji Kennel – Men's Soccer (Fall) – Kennel carries a 3.91 GPA as a double major in Spanish and business major. He was named CoSIDA Academic All-District in both 2014 and 2015 and Academic All-American in 2015. This fall, Kennel collected six goals and two assists and was named All-MAC Commonwealth for his play in the midfield. Off the field, Kennel works with Walaalos and the Cumberland Point community.
Ben Wise – Wrestling (Winter) – Carries a 3.96 GPA as a Health and Physical Education major with a K-12 teaching certification. He has 27 career wins and is a captain of the wrestling team. Wise placed third at the 2014 MAC Championships at 157 pounds. Off the mat, Wise has served on an AROMA mission trip to Zambia and other service projects with the wrestling team.
Joseph Saufley – Baseball (Spring) – Saufley carries a 3.93 GPA as a communications major. He was named CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-American in 2015. For his career Saufley has batted .362 with six home runs and 46 runs batted in. He is a two-time All-MAC Commonwealth player and was named Second Team All-Region after a breakout junior campaign. Off the field, he is president of Messiah's FCA, a member of SAAC, a tutor at Boys and Girls Club of America, and a Youth Leader at Hershey Evangelical Free Church.
The finalists will be recognized at the Messiah College Athletics Hall of Honor Banquet on Friday, January 8. At the conclusion of the spring season, the 2016 male and female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced.
