DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle Athletics Department announced the recipients of the Eagles of Excellence (formerly the ERAU Champions of Character scholarship) and Steve & Vicky Ridder scholarship at the annual Athletics Award Banquet held inside the ICI Center on Monday evening. The recipients were selected from a pool of current Embry-Riddle student-athletes who submitted applications and were interviewed by a 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 2016-17 Steve & Vicky Ridder Scholarship was presented to Alex Orr, a member of the cross country and track & field teams.
 
Orr, a sophomore from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, won the ERAU Asics Classic in October, finishing the 5K in 19:09.00. This spring, Orr set a new school record in the indoor 5,000m with a time of 18:26.64. In 2015, Orr was an All-Sun Conference performer in track & field in the 5,000m and 10,000m disciplines and earned second team All-Conference in cross country with a 12th-place finish at The Sun Conference Championships.
 
An Aeronautical Science major with a 3.7 GPA, Orr has earned her private pilot's license and is an instrument-rated private pilot. She is currently training to become a commercial pilot and is a member of the Alpha Ace Piloting Club. Orr is also a part of Launch, an on-campus Christian worship group, and The Tree Initiative. She has also volunteered at the Daytona 500 and worked various events at the Ocean Center.
 
The Athletic Department also announced the 13 Eagles of Excellence Scholarship winners, including Orr, Anna Battison, Ella Duggan, Zach Farner, Andrea Froshaug, Matt Graves, Gudrun Johnson, Johanna Karlson, Marina LeVine, Bradley Mapes, Lonnie Marts, Ashley McWilliams and Hanna Rolfsen.
 
Battison is currently in her third season on the softball team and has started all 40 games this spring. She is batting .287 with two home runs, nine RBIs and 40 runs scored. She also leads the team with 25 stolen bases. A two-time Honor Roll student, Battison has a 3.27 GPA in Aeronautical Science. Battison has volunteered at community events such as the Heart Walk and Breast Cancer Walk and has worked with Challenger Sports each of the last two years helping young children with disabilities play soccer, basketball and baseball.
 
Duggan, a sophomore from Tauranga, New Zealand, completed her second season as a member of the volleyball team in the fall. She appeared in 27 matches and was fourth on the team with 113 kills while recording 95 blocks, second-most on the club. Duggan carries a 3.55 GPA in Aerospace and Occupational Safety and has been named to the Deans List twice. She is a leader with Campus Outreach and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. Duggan has volunteered as a local volleyball coach and helped with a local river clean-up.
 
Farner is a member of the men's track & field team and is redshirting this season. Last year, Farner was an All-Sun Conference performer in the hammer, winning the event at The Sun Conference Championships with a throw of 45.15m. A junior from Mulino, Oregon, Farner currently has a 3.49 GPA in Aerospace Engineering. Farner volunteers with Launch and at Lilian Place Historic House in Daytona Beach. He was also selected as the Air Force ROTC Cadet of the Year in 2013-14 and is an AFROTC Field Training Distinguished Graduate.
 
Froshaug, a member of the women's soccer team, is receiving the Eagles of Excellence scholarship for the second straight year. Last season, Froshaug led the team in scoring with 10 goals and three assists for 23 points. Froshaug's dedication in the classroom shows with a 3.92 GPA in Business Administration, and she has been named to the Deans List four times in the past three years. The Eagle forward from Oslo, Norway has spent time volunteering at a local preschool, the Halifax Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity and the Daytona Women's Shelter.
 
A junior on the cross country and track & field teams, Graves won the 5,000m at the ERAU Indoor/Outdoor Challenge in January. He is also the 13th-fastest runner in the history of the ERAU cross country program with a time of 25:37.20. The Milford, Michigan native carries a 3.85 GPA in Aerospace Engineering and has been on the Deans List every semester since the Fall of 2013. Graves has spent time volunteering with the Hope for Hayley 5K and has participated in the Color Me Kate 5K, while also serving as the Community Service Chairman for the GE Professional Development Committee in the Dayton, Ohio region during his time in the Co-Op program at GE Aviation.
 
Johnson, a junior from Reyjkavik, Iceland, completed her third season with the women's soccer team in the fall. She started all 15 games, logging over 1,300 minutes on the field anchoring a defense that surrendered just eight goals all year while racking up nine shutouts. Majoring in Business Administration, Johnson boasts a 3.80 GPA and earned a perfect 4.0 in the fall. Johnson has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the Color Me Kate 5K, along with numerous soccer clinics.
 
Karlsson is junior on the women's soccer team, originally from Vellinge, Sweden. Karlsson was an integral part of an Eagle defense that tallied nine shutouts in 2015 and she also scored the game-winning goal against Lynn on Oct. 24. She has a 4.0 GPA in Business Administration and is a member the leadership team with Team Impact. Helwig has volunteered for numerous service projects, including the Color Me Kate 5K, Port Orange Family Days and Habitat for Humanity.
 
LeVine is a junior from Indian Rocks Beach and is in her third season with the cross country and track & field teams. She posted a pair of top-10 finishes during cross country season in the fall and has finished in the top three in numerous events during the track & field season. A Business Administration major, LeVine carries a 4.0 GPA and is the women's cross country representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. LeVine's volunteer activities include the Hope for Hayley 5K and working with the 727 Youth Track & Field club.
 
A sophomore from Johns Creek, Georgia, Mapes recently completed his second season on the men's basketball team. He played in 23 games and grabbed 63 rebounds, dished out 19 assists and scored 14 points. A Human Factors Psychology major, Mapes holds a 3.80 GPA and earned a perfect 4.0 in the fall 2015 semester. He has been a Deans List member every semester since the fall of 2013 and serves in the community with the Champions of Character Community Service Activities group.
 
Marts, a native of Jacksonville, is in his second season with the track & field team. This spring, Marts is redshirting during the outdoor season, but in 2015, he competed at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships on the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. Marts has a 3.70 GPA in Human Factors and is a member of a variety of student organizations, including Student Government, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Student Union Advisory Board, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Environmental Awareness Committee and First Year Initiatives. He has been on the Deans List every semester since the fall of 2014 and has volunteered at the Human Trafficking Awareness Day clean-up and organized the Environmental Awareness Committee Community clean-up.
 
A sophomore on the women's basketball team, McWilliams played in all 28 games this season, averaging four points per contest. The Tampa native has a 3.45 GPA in Business Management and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Catholic Student Union. McWilliams has volunteered with the River Run 5K and Halifax Urban Ministries as well as various local elementary schools.
 
The fourth member of the women's soccer team to earn an Eagles of Excellence scholarship, Rolfsen is a junior from Oslo, Norway. A defender, Rolfsen helped the Eagles to nine shutouts in 2015. Rolfsen boasts a 3.53 GPA in Business Administration and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Port Orange Family Days and the Color Me Kate 5K.