USU athletes honored at Whitesides Luncheon

    Utah State’s athletics department recognized 157 student-athletes for achieving a 3.2 grade point average at the 17th annual Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete Luncheon Tuesday. To be eligible for the honor, student-athletes must have a cumulative 3.2 grade point average or have posted a 3.2 GPA during the last two semesters.
    In all, approximately 47 percent of USU’s student-athletes earned a 3.2 GPA to qualify for the awards.
    The top honoree during the luncheon was track athlete Erin Stratton. The senior from Aurora, Colo. (Smoky Hill HS) graduated Summa Cum Laude in December of 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a minor in psychology. She was the valedictorian of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department with a 3.98 cumulative grade point average.
    As a four-year letterwinner on Utah State’s cross country/track and field teams, Stratton has claimed three Western Athletic Conference Championships as she won the mile and 3000m at the 2009 WAC Indoor Championships and the 1500m at the 2008 WAC Indoor Championships.
    “To win this award means a lot because it shows that I was able to do well in both sports and the classroom,” said Stratton. “You have to learn how to prioritize and make sure you’re focusing both on school and track. I was raised to excel academically and athletics is something that I love so I have always tried to do well in both.”
    Stratton, who has earned academic all-WAC honors eight times during her USU career, is currently taking graduate courses in the sciences to prepare for her physician’s assistant program this summer at Marietta (Ohio) College.
    Sixteen of the past 18 recipients of the top individual honor have been women as the only males in that time to win the award was Mike Puzey from men’s basketball in 2003 and Tyler Ellis from men’s track who shared the award with Rebecca Anderson and Alison Taylor last year.
    Utah State also handed out team honors and women’s tennis was named the top academic team with less than 20 members, women’s track and soccer were the top academic teams with more than 20 members, and men’s tennis was the most improved academic team.
    John Johnson, who is a sophomore on the men’s track team, received the Aggie Achievement Award for overcoming life challenges and personal adversity to ultimately excel as a student-athlete and obtain a high level of academic achievement at Utah State University.
    Dr. Mary Doty was presented the Meet The Challenge Award posthumously. USU Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Raymond T. Coward also received the Meet The Challenge Award, while Glennie Mesa was given the Outstanding Tutor Award and Trissta Lyman was given the Outstanding Mentor Award for their work with USU’s student-athletes.
    The Whitesides honors started in 1953 by former USU athlete, coach and athletics director Joe E. Whitesides.