DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle Athletics Department announced the recipients of the ERAU Champions of Character and Steve & Vicky Ridder scholarships at the annual Athletics Award Banquet held at the Jim W. Henderson Administration and Welcome Center on the campus of Embry-Riddle on Thursday evening. The recipients were selected from a pool of current ERAU student-athletes who submitted applications and were interviewed by a selection committee comprised of ERAU faculty and staff.
A commitment to academic achievement, campus and community involvement, personal holistic growth and a drive to excel in sport exemplifies the spirit of Steve and Vicky Ridder and the scholarship that bears their names. Each head coach is asked to submit a nominee that represents the ERAU athletics department ideal package - the student-person-player - and those nominees must then submit an essay describing the ways in which they exude the aforementioned characteristics.
The 2014-15 Steve & Vicky Ridder scholarship winner is senior Ellie Staker. Currently in her third year with the women's track & field team, Staker hails from Seattle, Wash. She earned All-America honors in three events at this year's NAIA Indoor National Championships, making her an eight-time All-American in her career. A Computational Mathematics major, Staker has a 3.67 grade point average, which has afforded her Academic All-Conference and Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors. During her time at ERAU, Staker has volunteered at beach cleanups, the Daytona 500 and as a math tutor and quantum mechanics grader at ERAU.
The Athletics Department also announced the 15 Champions of Character Scholarship winners, including Jason Alvarez, Gabriela Casariego, Dee Espinosa, Daniel Kiesling, Zachary Kraus, Olivia Lynch, Kyle Morgan, Stetson Nelson, Charlotte Orren, Brian Porter, Aleiyah Ross, Andy Schleitwile, Kameron Turner, Zane Ziegler and Deni Zmak.
Alvarez is receiving the Champions of Character Scholarship for the second straight year. He just finished his third season on the Embry-Riddle men's soccer team and appeared in 16 matches in 2013. He has a 3.69 GPA as a graduate student in the Aviation Management MBA program and is actively involved on campus and in the community. He is a member of the Business Eagles and the Delta Mu Delta-Eta Lambda Chapter, and is Treasurer of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Vice President of the Humanitarian Club.
Casariego recently completed her junior season with the women's soccer team. Casariego played in 11 games in the fall, scoring three goals and recording two assists for eight points. She has a 3.28 GPA in Aerospace Engineering and has volunteered with the women's soccer team painting preschools and with Habitat for Humanity.
A sophomore in Aerospace Engineering with a 3.33 GPA, Espinosa is currently one of the leaders on the softball team, leading the team with a .392 batting average and three home runs. Espinosa has volunteered with Halifax Health Hospice of Volusia and Flagler counties as well as helping teach softball skills the Mainland High School softball team.
Kiesling is receiving the Champions of Character Scholarship for the second straight year. He recently finished his second season of competition with the men's basketball team after redshirting in 2011-12. He played in 29 of the Eagles' 32 games, averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Kiesling is a member of the Campus Outreach Leadership team and has volunteered for various speaking engagements for children, while maintaining a 3.31 GPA in Mechanical Engineering.
Like Alvarez and Kiesling, Kraus is receiving the Champions of Character Scholarship for the second straight year. A junior on the cross country and track and field teams and is a 3.7 Aerospace Engineering student. A former SALT representative, he has garnered many awards, including All-Conference, Academic All-Conference and NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. He is a member of the Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society and serves as an academic tutor for his teammates.
Lynch is going into her junior season with the Eagles' women's soccer team and started 21 of ERAU's 22 games this season, finishing with a 14-5-1 record and a 0.73 GAA. She also is currently playing her first season with the women's golf team, having appeared in three tournaments so far this spring. An Aeronautics major with a 3.57 GPA, she is a squad leader with the Army ROTC. Lynch also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and as an Army recruiter.
Morgan is currently finishing his sophomore season with the men's golf team. He has played in four tournaments this spring for the Eagles. Morgan is a member of Campus Outreach and serves as Treasurer for the American Society of Civil Engineers. He also volunteered as a caddie for the Food Brings Hope fundraising golf tournament.
A junior in Homeland Security with a 3.5 GPA, Nelson has been a standout out on the Embry-Riddle baseball team for the past two seasons. He has a 16-5 record over the past two seasons and a 1.74 ERA this year, second-best on the team. Nelson has volunteered with a Halloween carnival for area students as well as a shopping spree at Kohl's for underprivileged elementary students in Daytona Beach.
Orren has been named to the President's Team, the Dean's List and the Society of Collegiate Scholars since joining the women's golf program in 2011. A member of the Acafellas and Acabellas as well as Campus Outreach, she has a 3.73 GPA in Aerospace Engineering.
Porter is receiving the Champions of Character Scholarship for the second consecutive year. He is a Residence Advisor as well as being a third-year member of the men's soccer team. Selected as the SGA University Student of the Month in Nov. 2012, he has been named to the President's and Academic All-Conference teams. He is majoring in Aerospace Engineering and has a 3.75 GPA.
A three-year member of the women's cross country and track & field teams, Aleiyah Ross has been named to the Honor Roll, Dean's List and President's Team. Ross was first-team All-Sun Conference in cross country this past fall and is a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) as well as the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Ross is majoring in Business Administration and has a 3.7 GPA.
After going on a two-year Mormon mission, Schleitwiler returned to the men's basketball team in 2011, but was unable to compete for the Eagles in 2012-13 due to an injury. This season he appeared in 16 games, knocking down six three-pointers and grabbing eight rebounds. Schleitwiler has been a Deputy Flight Commander in ERAU's Air Force ROTC program and has worked as basketball camp counselor and Athletic Department student assistant. A Dean's List, Academic All-Conference and Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete selection, he has a 3.93 GPA in Aerospace Engineering.
Kameron Turner has spent the past two seasons on the men's track & field team, earning All-America honors in the heptathlon in March. He has volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club and is a member of the Dean's List and President's Team. Turner holds a 3.73 GPA in Business Administration.
Also a member of the men's track & field team, Zane Ziegler is finishing his second year as an Eagle. Ziegler is a member of the UAS Club and Robotics Club and volunteers as a Vacation Bible School leader. He is majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a 3.9 GPA.
The final Champions of Character scholarship recipient is Deni Zmak of the men's tennis team. Zmak helped the Eagles to the 2013 team national championship and won the singles and doubles national championships in the fall of 2013. He is also a member of the President's Team and volunteers at Palmetto House Assisted Living Facility. Zmak is majoring in Software Engineering and has a 3.39 GPA.
The 15 recipients of the Champions of Character scholarship will get $3,500 each, while the Steve & Vicky Ridder scholarship winner will receive $6,000.
