FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU Athletics has named women's cross country runner Lauren Tarovisky and men's soccer player Rodrigo Saravia as recipients of the Northwestern Mutual Academic Student-Athletes of the Month Award for September.

Each month during the school year, the FGCU Athletics Communication Office and Athletic Academic staff will choose a pair of Eagles as the Northwestern Mutual Student-Athlete of the Month. Those selected for the honor will have exhibited a combination of superior athletic and overall academic success.

Tarovisky (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park/Morehead State) is a communication major with a 3.41 cumulative GPA and earned Dean's List recognition last spring. The senior runner paced the Eagles in each of the first two meets of the 2015 season with fifth- and 11th-place finishes at the UNF Invitational and UF Mountain Dew Invitational, respectively. Her 5K time of 18:19.35 at The Swamp was not only the top-time for the Green and Blue this season, but also the eighth-best mark in program history. During the Eagles' latest meet at the Upstate Invitational, Tarovisky crossed the finish line second among FGCU runners and 12th overall.

In 2014, her first season at FGCU after transferring from Morehead State, Tarovisky also paced the Eagles in two races, including the FSU Seminole Invitational and the NCAA South Regional, where her 6K time of 21:40.70 was good for the third-fastest mark in FGCU history. The Wheeling, W.Va., native also clocked two of the Eagles' top-five times on the season with marks of 18:32.68 and 18:37.99 at the A-Sun Championships and UF Mountain Dew Invitational, respectively. She finished second on the team and 19th overall at last year's conference meet.

Saravia (Guatemala City, Guatemala/College Internacional Montessori) is a management major with a 3.24 cumulative GPA and was a member of the Dean's List in the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013. The senior midfielder has played in all seven games for the Green and Blue this season and ranks fourth on the team and first among midfielders with 545 minutes played. After coming off the bench in the season opener against then-No. 3 Georgetown, Saravia has started in each of the last six games, logging a full 90 minutes in four contests. He has assisted on a career-high three goals this season, including the game-winning goal by Preston Kilwien in the 89th minute of a 3-2 win against Princeton, a play which appeared as the No. 3 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays that night. The Guatemala native also added a career-high two assists in a 2-1 win at Brown en route to being named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week.

During his four-year career at FGCU, Saravia has started in 59 of 61 games played, ranking eighth in program history. A four-time All-Conference award winner, he was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team in 2012, the A-Sun All-Conference Second Team in 2013 and both the A-Sun All-Conference First Team and A-Sun Academic All-Conference Team in 2014. He has recorded 11 points on two goals and seven assists in his career, which includes scoring the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win versus USC Upstate during his freshman season.

The Glenn Black Group, a member of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, works to help and enhance the financial success and well-being of families and businesses in Southwest Florida. In addition to offering access to risk management products and solutions, The Glenn Black Group provides a variety of related products that can help solve personal, retirement, estate and business planning needs.

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network is the marketing name for the sales and distribution arm of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisc., (Northwestern Mutual) and its subsidiaries.

FGCU ATHLETICS
In its 9th year as a Division-I member, FGCU has won a combined 45 conference regular season and tournament titles as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference and Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association. In just its 5th year of D-I postseason eligibility, FGCU has made 20 total NCAA Championship appearances, and seven programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sports. Ticket information for upcoming events is available at FGCUAthletics.com/tickets or by calling 239-590-7145. Additional news and schedule information is available at FGCUAthletics.com. Follow us on Twitter (@FGCUEagles), Facebook (/FGCUAthletics), Instagram (@FGCUAthletics) and YouTube (/FGCUAthletics).
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.