Clarksville, Ark.-University of the Ozarks student-athletes Jeremy Provence and Tony Santoro have earned the title of Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in their respective American Southwest Conference 2011 fall sport, the ASC office announced on Thursday (Jan. 26).
The honor, in its fifth academic year, recognizes student-athletes that achieve a higher level of academic achievement (a 3.20 grade-point average or better) while competing as a starter or important reserve on their team. From that list – limited to one nominee per school in each ASC championship sport – the sports information directors from the conference’s 16 member institutions vote on a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete from each sport.
Provence, a senior cross country runner from Mountainburg, Ark., produced the 8K school record, the top ASC time at the NCAA III Regional, finished second at the ASC Championships and was named ASC runner of the week twice during the 2011 season. He helped Ozarks to its best finish at the NCAA III regional (top-10) and just missed qualifying for the NCAA III national race by two spots. Provence posted a pair of individual wins during the year, and helped Ozarks finish second at the ASC championships. He received All-Region honors and First Team All-Conference honors this year. He finishes his career as a three-time ASC All-Academic honoree and was a member of the Dean’s List. He is majoring in physical education.
Santoro, a senior soccer player from Houston, Texas, was a three-year starter for the men’s soccer team and served as a team captain his senior season. Santoro excelled in the classroom and the field, earning a spot on the Capital One Academic All-District Team in 2011. It was the second straight year he was named an Academic All-District performer. A starter in 18 matches, he scored six goals and recorded one assist during the 2011 season. Santoro ranked second on the team in shots (44) and third in goals. For his efforts in 2011, he was named to the All-ASC Honorable Mention Team. He finishes his career with 14 assists, tenth-most at Ozarks and was a two-time All-Conference performer. He was a three-time ASC All-Academic Team honoree. Santoro served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during his collegiate career and was also named to the Dean’s List. He majoring in mathematics.
Overall, a record 72 student-athletes from ASC men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball were named to the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Team.
Topics: Athletics