The University of Memphis had a Conference USA best four student-athletes earn the C-USA Scholar-Athlete award, the league office announced Thursday. Sam Moll (Baseball), Grant Milner (Men’s Golf), Mark Sherrod (Men’s Soccer) and Courtney Collins (Women’s Tennis) earned the distinction for their academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service.
Collins, a native of Fulton, Miss., was named C-USA Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season. During her career, she was a four-time C-USA Honor Roll recipient and a C-USA Academic Medalist as well as a three-time C-USA All-Academic Team selection and ITA Scholar-Athlete. She was also honored with the C-USA Spirit of Service Award in 2012. Collins garnered regional accolades in her final two seasons at Memphis, receiving the ITA Ohio Valley Region Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship in 2012 and the region’s Senior of the Year in 2013.
A four-time All-C-USA selection, Collins earned first team honors from 2011-13. She finished her four-year career with a 95-44 singles record, which placed her second in the Memphis record books. In 2013, Collins advanced to the NCAA Singles Championships for the second-straight season after earning a No. 55 national ranking and posting a 16-9 mark. She became the first NCAA participant for the program and was the first Lady Tiger to be nationally ranked, entering the polls for the first time in 2011.
Collins graduated with a 3.84 GPA in May 2012 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in exercise and sports science. Moll posted a 9-3 record with a 2.30 ERA in 15 starts for the Tiger baseball squad. The junior southpaw struck out 106 while walking only 32 in 94 innings of work. Moll held opponents to a .196 average against and was a First Team All-C-USA pick. Moll was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the third round of the MLB Draft, making him the third-highest pick in program history at No. 77.
In the classroom, Moll carried a 3.71 grade-point average. The Lakeland, Tenn., native is a five-time honoree on the Dean’s List at the U of M and named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll in all three years. Moll majored in accounting before departing for his professional baseball career.
Sherrod, a Knoxville, Tenn., native, became the first men’s soccer player to win the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons finishing the 2012 campaign with 12 goals, four assists and 28 points. Sherrod earned numerous athletic honors on the pitch including, among others, All-C-USA first team honors and NSCAA All-Midwest Region first team honors. The junior was just as decorated for his academic work being named to the Capital One/Co SIDA All-America second team, NSCAA Men’s University Division Scholar All-America first team, NSCAA Scholar All-South Region first team and the C-USA All-Academic Team.
A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Milner was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team this season after sporting a 3.77 GPA in journalism-news. He has been named to the C-USA Honor Roll and was a C-USA Academic Medalist all three years of his career.
Milner led the Tigers this season with a 73.8 scoring average. He won the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate in October 2012 and recorded four top-10 and five top-20 finishes this season. He is currently eighth in the school record books with a 74.3 career average. At the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, Milner recorded the second-lowest 36-hole score and the sixth-lowest 54-hole score in program history with a 134 and a 206. In 2010, he was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team. Milner is expected to graduate in December 2013.
2013 Conference USA Scholar-Athlete Award Winners:
Baseball: Sam Moll (Memphis)
Men’s Basketball: Austin Ramljak (Rice)
Women’s Basketball: Amber Jones (UAB)
Men’s Cross Country: Gabriel Cuadra (Rice)
Women’s Cross Country: Stephanie Ledgerwood (Southern Miss)/Risper Kimaiyo * (UTEP)
Football: Jared St. John (Tulsa)
Men’s Golf: Grant Milner (Memphis)
Women’s Golf: Fanny Wolte (East Carolina)
Women’s Rowing: Nicole Fumanek (Oklahoma)
Men’s Soccer: Mark Sherrod (Memphis)
Women’s Soccer: Claire Hulcer (Tulsa)
Softball: Jillian Jelrick (East Carolina)
Women’s Swimming & Diving: Kylee Talwar (Rice)
Men’s Tennis: Cliff Marsland * (Tulsa)
Women’s Tennis: Courtney Collins * (Memphis)
Men’s Track and Field: Richard Collingwood (Southern Miss)
Women’s Track and Field: Rhiannon Johns * (UAB)
Volleyball: Samantha Serley (UAB)