Utah's Katie Donovan named Pac-12 Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 has named UTAH’s Katie Donovan the Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced today. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
Donovan, a senior from Salem, Ore., maintains a 3.83 grade point average (GPA) in honors biology with a minor in ecology and legacy. She is a three-time NFCA All-Region honoree, a three-time All-Pac-12 honoree and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree. Donovan is also a two-time first team Pac-12 All-Academic selection. She is the active Pac-12 leader in saves (13), starts (111), innings (656.0) and appearances (155). Her 64 career wins rank fourth in Utah history and her 561 career strikeouts ranks third. Donovan is the first Utah student-athlete to be honored with the award in softball.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2008-09 academic year.
Also Nominated: Ashleigh Hughes, ARIZ; Marisa Stankiewicz, ASU; Jenna Lilley, ORE; McKenna Arriola, OSU; Lauren Wegner, STAN; Kylee Perez, UCLA; Taylor Van Zee, WASH.