PEORIA, Ill. -- Junior Meaghan LeBlanc was a unanimous choice for Missouri Valley Conference scholar-athlete and senior Carly Sobel received honorable mention Valley scholar-athlete recognition, announced by the league office Wednesday.
LeBlanc was a unanimous choice and one of three repeat selections for the six-member first-team Valley scholar-athlete team after taking medalist honors at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship last week in Springfield, Mo. A three-time first-team all-conference honoree, LeBlanc earned Valley scholar-athlete honors for the second consecutive year.
A finance major with a 3.66 cumulative grade point average, LeBlanc tied a Valley record with a three-round total of 215 at the Valley championship and set a school season stroke average with a 77.3 average this year. She also led the four top 10 finishes and 17 rounds in the 70's this season.
LeBlanc is the sixth Bradley golfer to earn Valley scholar-athlete honors twice and her award marks the 12th time the Braves have had a first-team Valley scholar-athlete since the start of the 1999-2000 season. No other Valley school has more than nine first-team scholar-athletes in that time. LeBlanc's selection also marked the eighth consecutive year Bradley placed at least one person on the Valley Scholar-Athlete first team.
Sobel earned honorable mention Valley scholar-athlete honors for the third consecutive year. A business management and administration major with a 3.37 cumulative grade point average, she ranked third on the team this season with an 80.6 stroke average and matched LeBlanc's team-best four top 10 finishes. Carly was named MVC Golfer of the Week after tying for fifth place at the Illini Spring Classic.
The criteria for the MVC scholar-athlete team parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for academic all-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institutions and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team's rounds or played at the Missouri Valley Championship.
