Seven Winter Sport Cardinals Named MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

Seven Winter Sport Cardinals Named MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes

May 10, 2018 | General, Men's Basketball, Track & Field

Gabby Sims honored for fifth time across indoor, outdoor track & field

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Seven Ball State student-athletes from the 2017-18 winter sports season were selected as Mid-American Conference Distinguished Scholar Athletes for their excellence in competition and in the classroom.

The recipients were chosen by the league's faculty athletics representatives as the "best of the best" from each sport's previously announced Academic All-MAC teams.

Gabby Sims (indoor track & field) and Sean Sellers (men's basketball) both earned the honor for the third year in a row. Sims, who owns a 3.918 GPA in elementary education, is also a two-time selection in outdoor track & field. Sellers, who graduated in three years and is pursuing a master's degree, was a CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team selection earlier this year.

The indoor track & field team boasted four of the Cardinals' seven selections for the winter season, while the men's basketball team accounted for two of the six student-athletes selected in that sport.

The winter recipients join a group of eight Cardinals who earned the honor for the fall season. The spring recipients will be announced at a later date.

Students with a GPA of at least 3.20 who participate in at least 50 percent of their teams' contests are eligible for the award. The number of selections for each sport is equivalent to the size of the all-conference first team in that sport or 20 percent of the nominees, whichever is greater. First-year students and junior college and graduate school transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible.

Ball State's MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes (Winter)

Indoor Track & Field
*Regan Lewis, Junior, 3.774 GPA, Nursing (Greenfield, Ind.)
*^Gabby Sims, Senior, 3.918 GPA, Elementary Education (Columbus, Ind.)
Peyton Stewart, Junior, 3.582 GPA, Exercise Science (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Brooke Talhelm, Sophomore, 4.00 GPA, Nursing (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Men's Basketball
Kyle Mallers, Sophomore, 3.748 GPA, Business Administration (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
*^Sean Sellers, Senior, 3.66 GPA Grad-Secondary Education; 3.635 GPA Sport Administration (Greensburg, Ind.)

Women's Basketball
*Carmen Grande, Junior, 3.98 GPA, Mathematical Sciences (Madrid, Spain)

*2016-17 Distinguished Scholar Athlete
^2015-16 Distinguished Scholar Athlete