DePaul University Athletics
January Named I-AAA Scholar Athlete of the Year
4/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO ââ'¬" DePaul junior Jessica January was named the I-AAA Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Monday. Teammate, Megan Podkowa joined January on the 14th Annual Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Scholar-Athlete Team.
"Our Association congratulates this year's scholar-athlete award winners," stated Tim Hall, chair of the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team Selection Committee and athletics director at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. "We pride ourselves in honoring deserving student-athletes who exemplify I-AAA athletics and this year is no different, as we recognize the scholar-athletes of the year and the postgraduate scholarship recipients for their outstanding accomplishments."
January, a public relations/advertising and communications/media double major with a minor in mathematics boasts a 3.95 GPA and was named a CoSIDA third-team Academic All-American earlier this year. January was named to the NCAA Dallas All-Regional Team and was a BIG EAST All-Conference selection. The Richfield, Minn. native led the Blue Demons with 211 assists while her 2.64 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked eighth in Division I. During DePaul's run to the Sweet 16, January averaged 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
January is just the second Blue Demon to be named the I-AAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Allie Quigley was recognized twice ââ'¬" in 2006 and again in 2008. In 2007, Quigley was named to the Scholar-Athlete team and is DePaul's only three-time honoree.
Podkowa, who was named a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American earlier this season, will graduate in June with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematical Sciences with a concentration in actuarial science. The 2015-16 BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year led DePaul in rebounding (7.8), field goal percentage (.552) and 3-point field goal percentage (.481).
January is the 11th DePaul student-athlete to be named to the I-AAA Scholar-Athlete team. Podkowa, who was on the I-AAA Scholar-Athlete team as a junior, becomes just the fifth Blue Demon to earn the award in multiple seasons. A DePaul player has been recognized on the I-AAA Scholar-Athlete team a total of 16 times.
2015-16 I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team
Shelby Cheslek, Gonzaga | 3.62 GPA, Masters in Business Administration
Lauren Crisler, American | 3.92 GPA, Finance
Stephanie Haas, Florida Gulf Coast University | 3.94 GPA, Criminal Justice/Psychology
Jessica January, DePaul | 3.95 GPA, Public Relations/Advertising and Communications/Media
Sam Lapszynski, Niagara | 3.92 GPA, Elementary Education
Taylor Leathers, Missouri Kansas City | 3.98 GPA, Health Science/Pre Medical
Bryahna "Lucy" Mason, UNC-Greensboro | 3.80 GPA, Economics/African Studies
Megan Podkowa, DePaul | 3.84 GPA, Mathematical Sciences
Nicole Rogers, IUPUI | 3.81, Biology/Pre Medical
Christine Roush, Northern Kentucky | 3.78, Biological Science
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jessica January, DePaul University
About Division I-AAA ADA: Now in its 15th year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (the 99 Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. For more information on the Division I-AAA ADA, please visit www.div1aaa-ada.com. The Division I-AAA ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 51st year. For more information on NACDA and the 14 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
