Crown’s Brady Griffith, Bethany Lutheran’s Joelle Pipal named recipients of the UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award
ST. PAUL -- Crown College’s Brady Griffith and Bethany Lutheran College’s Joelle Pipal have been named the recipients of the 2012 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award. The award, which is given to one male and one female student-athlete from UMAC member-institutions, recognizes graduating seniors who demonstrate a healthy balance by achieving excellence in academics, leadership, and service, while participating in intercollegiate athletics.
The NCAA Division III athlete is unique among intercollegiate athletes because, at Division III institutions, student-athletes receive no financial aid for athletic participation. Such institutions emphasize the overall quality of the educational experience and the successful completion of the student’s academic program; athletic participation is an important part of that educational experience. Division III provides opportunities for student-athletes to be a part of numerous campus activities in addition to athletics, and these finalists have maximized those opportunities. The UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award is presented to students who embody what it means to be an NCAA Division III athlete. Through this award, the UMAC recognizes the role athletics plays in developing leaders by rewarding athletes' excellence in the classroom as well as service to the community. The league’s faculty athletic representatives nominate and vote on this honor.
Griffith, who will graduate with a degree in biology, has been a standout student-athlete in the sport of soccer at Crown. On the soccer pitch, Griffith has been a captain on the Storm squad since his sophomore season and was named a UMAC All-Conference team member three times, a first team selection in each of the past two years. A powerful presence in the middle of the Crown defense, Griffith has allowed Coach Art Busha to be creative with his formations, lineups, and strategy. Griffith has created a name for himself off of the field too. Maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout his college career, Griffith has been a member of the honors program at Crown. This fall, he was named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Second Team Academic All-American and has been selected to the UMAC Academic All-Conference list in each of the last four years. Griffith serves as the deputy vice president of the National Society for Collegiate Scholars and takes part in the 10-member panel’s leadership for the national organization that boasts over 800,000 members. Off campus, Griffith has volunteered over 200 hours in local hospitals since starting as a freshman in 2008. He is also very involved in Special Olympics, coaching basketball and softball.
Pipal is a communication major who has her own following at Bethany Lutheran. A four-year member of the Vikings’ women’s soccer team and a two-year participant on the women’s basketball team, Pipal has been a leader on the field and court since her arrival on campus as a freshman. Pipal has been named to all-conference teams in each of her four years on the soccer field, earning first team honors twice. Following Pipal’s final game last fall, she left the pitch as Vikings’ program leader in goals scored, assists, points, and game-winning goals. In the classroom, Pipal has been a member of Bethany Lutheran’s dean’s list every semester of her college career and is a four-time UMAC Academic All-Conference selection while also being named a CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American. For the past two years, she has been a member of the Bethany Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has chaired the school’s student activities council. In addition to her academic work, Pipal has spent a considerable amount of time with the Lasting Imprint Foundation, which promotes awareness and funds research for congenital heart defects. She is also a volunteer coach and trainer for Mankato United Soccer Club. The Pipal name has become a known name in photography circles, as her work has been selected for the prestigious juried annual Carnegie Art Show.
UMAC Commissioner Corey Borchardt noted, “Each year I am always impressed with the athletic, service, and leadership accomplishments of our Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award winners. This year is certainly no different as Brady’s maintaining of a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout his entire collegiate career, contributing significant volunteer hours, and continuing as one of the top soccer athletes in our conference is tremendous. Similarly, the depth of Joelle’s talents are clearly visible as she not only has achieved excellence in her athletic accomplishments, but also has collected numerous recognitions for her academic achievements, and also has been recognized deservedly so for her extensive community service, volunteering, and leadership in numerous campus activities. These two individuals are great representatives of the type of student-athletes the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference is proud to highlight.”
Both Griffith and Pipal will receive a commemorative plaque with their name engraved on it. Together, they become the fifth group to win the UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award since its inception in 2009.
Past UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award winners:
2011 – Toby Peter (College of St. Scholastica), April Cook (Martin Luther College)
2010 – Nick Olson (Northwestern College), Maddy Gerber (University of Minnesota Morris)
2009 – Zach Marshall (Northwestern College), Eva Voss (Bethany Lutheran College)
2008 - Nathan Nass (Martin Luther College), Christopher Rubesch (College of St. Scholastica), Kristin Scislow (Bethany Lutheran College)
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The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference is comprised of eight full and six associate members located throughout the Midwest. Originally formed in 1972 as the Twin Rivers Conference, the league was renamed in 1983. The UMAC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The conference provides its member institutions the opportunity to be recognized in the areas of academic excellence and athletic competitiveness. The UMAC awards conference championships in 18 sports.
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