FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU Department of Athletics unveiled Monday its five finalists for the prestigious 2019 Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award. The winner will be announced during the annual Nesties Senior Send-Off event, which will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25 in Alico Arena.
 
The Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award is the highest honor FGCU bestows upon a graduating senior student-athlete(s) and recognizes the ability of the winner(s) to combine athletic and academic successes (minimum 3.20 GPA), along with community service.
 
The 2019 Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award finalists include: women's tennis' Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva HS), swimmer Christina Kaas Elmgreen (Charlottenlund, Denmark/Ordrup Gymnasium), women's soccer midfielder Holly Fritz (Cape Coral, FL/Mariner HS/Florida State), softball pitcher Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL/Northeast HS, and volleyball setter Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, GA/Blessed Trinity Catholic). All five finalists have helped lead their programs to at least one conference championship during their time at FGCU and have combined for 10 total league crowns.
 
The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. with the annual senior send-off program coordinated by the Eagles Council. The awards ceremony immediately follows and includes the presentation of the Community Service Award, Duane Swanson Sr. Most Inspirational Award, Carl McAloose Spirit Award, Eagle Team Spirit Award and Stanley 'Butch' Perchan Award, in addition to the Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award. The Most Outstanding Male & Female Athlete finalists will be announced that evening as well, with the eventual winners determined after all 2018-19 seasons are complete.
 
From 2003-09, the scholar-athlete award was given to the male and female student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA. The 2018 Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award – which now represents more than just success in the classroom – was bestowed to both Mario Leon (baseball) and Ashley Parks (women's soccer).
 
"Each of these outstanding women personify the definition of the term Scholar-Athlete and what being a leader and ultimate Eagle represents," FGCU Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh said. "We thank them for their countless collective sacrifices, efforts and significant contributions to FGCU Athletics in general and to the University as a whole."
 
For more information, and to view former award recipients, visit FGCUAthletics.com/Awards. Below are more details on each of the five finalists.
 
JULIA ASCÚA
Ascúa carries a 3.93 grade-point average in accounting with a minor in economics. She is a mainstay on the President's List (2015-18), is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete (2016-18) and has twice been bestowed ASUN All-Academic accolades (2017-18). She remains on track to add to those laurels come season's end.
 
She has volunteered in numerous areas around campus, including serving on the Lutgert College of Business Student Advisory Board. She has volunteered as a microeconomics teaching assistant, while helping tutor both micro and macroeconomics at the Center for Academic Achievement. She has served more than 200 hours in the community in diverse activities such as women's tennis free clinics and teaching elementary children in Fort Myers. She also participated in the Hurricane Irma relief efforts, reaching out to affected neighborhoods.
 
Ascúa is a three-time member of the All-ASUN First Team (2016-18) and also landed on the All-ASUN Doubles Second Team in 2016. She has helped lead the Green and Blue to the first two conference championships in school history (2017-18), and this past season the Eagles garnered the program's first ITA national ranking. She is also a three-time ASUN Player of the Week honoree.
 
Head Coach Courtney Vernon on Ascúa:
"Julia has been a pivotal player on the team for the past four years and has helped our team achieve more success and make history because of her contributions. However, it is her strength of character that has impressed me the most. She has shown over the past four years that she is a person of compassion, honesty and integrity. She often goes out of her way to make others feel special and valued. In addition to being an exceptional leader and role model for the team, Julia has consistently been an absolute rock star in the classroom, in the community, and among fans and donors."
 
CHRISTINA KAAS ELMGREEN
Elmgreen has maintained a 3.87 GPA in finance and has been a part of the Honors College at FGCU since her second semester. She is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, which is a society that recognizes the top-10 percent of undergraduate students at AACSB accredited business schools. She has been on both the President's List and Dean's List three times each. She is also a three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, which includes being named to the First Team on two occasions (2017, 2018).
 
Elmgreen is a member of Eagles Council, serves as the Bloomberg Lab Coordinator in the Lutgert College of Business and assists with FGCU Swim Camps. In the community, she helps with Hunting for a Cure and has volunteered at the Best Damn Race and the Boys and Girls Club of Lee County. She has also served as a guest speaker to younger swimmers in her home country of Denmark.
 
She made school history in the pool by becoming the first FGCU swimmer to medal in every race she competed in her career at the CCSA Championships. She won five gold medals total and helped lead the Green and Blue to three CCSA Championships (2016-18). She was recognized as the Most Outstanding Female Swimmer at the 2017 CCSA Championships and has landed CCSA Swimmer of the Week accolades on four occasions. Elmgreen qualified for the NCAA Championships in both her sophomore and junior seasons and owns the school record in the 200 butterfly. She also won the Danish National Championship in the same event in 2016 and 2017.
 
Head Coach Dave Rollins on Elmgreen:
"Christina has grown and developed into an incredible young woman over the past three years. She faced multiple setbacks and challenges throughout her career, but she has been fortunate to learn and grow from those experiences into a stronger, more passionate and caring young woman. She is also one of the most competitive people I know, and that will lead Christina to great things in her life. She has grown into an incredible leader, mentor and friend. I am extremely proud of her."
 
HOLLY FRITZ
Fritz owned a near-perfect 3.98 GPA in biology and became FGCU's first-ever First Team Academic All-American, prior to her December graduation. She was also named a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American and was voted as the 2018 ASUN Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She has been named to the President's List all three of her semesters at FGCU and was an ASUN All-Academic Team honoree. She graduated summa cum laude and has completed published research through the biology department.
 
Her volunteer work on campus includes helping with freshman move-in at South Village and aiding soccer camps and clinics. She has served in the community at Habitat for Humanity, the Harry Chapin Hunger Walk and the Special Olympics, while volunteering as a coach for the Cape Coral youth soccer club.
 
Fritz made an indelible mark on the women's soccer program during her two seasons and was named to the All-ASUN First Team both years. She helped lead the Eagles to the 2017 ASUN Regular Season and Tournament Championships, including a berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. She was a semifinalist for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award and was also a two-time member of the United Soccer Coaches Association Southeast All-Region Team (First Team in 2018, Second Team in 2017). The two-time ASUN Player of the Week finished the 2017 season in the top 10 in the nation in assists, and she finished her career ranked in the FGCU top-10 in seven different categories.
 
Head Coach Jim Blankenship on Fritz:
"Holly's legacy at FGCU will live on for numerous years past her graduation for she will be leaving the women's soccer program as one of the best players in history. Her success on the field mirrors her success in the classroom. She is a model candidate for this award. Her dedication to her team, the community, and her studies have carried over to the people that are in her life. She has gone above and beyond expectations laid before her and is someone whom I would consider to be hard-working, diligent, ambitious, and considerate. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that in years to come her further successes will make us all proud to have known her."
 
RILEY RANDOLPH
Randolph owns a 3.41 GPA in communications with a concentration in communication studies. She has been named to the Dean's List every semester since fall 2016. She also performed in the annual dialogue on race via the Critical Race Theory course.
 
She is a three-year member of the Eagles Council, serving as the Vice Chair in 2018-19 and as the social media coordinator. She is also a 2018-19 ASUN SAAC representative and attended the summer and winter ASUN Conference meetings. She has worked with Project Life Movement and has completed nearly 100 hours of community service with groups such as Habitat for Humanity, Shy Wolf Sanctuary, and the Kevin Popke Foundation. Through internships, she has logged more than 250 hours assisting in the planning and execution of three charity events for local Southwest Florida non-profits.
 
Randolph is already one of the most decorated softball players in school history. The nine-time ASUN Pitcher of the Week has been named the league's Pitcher and Freshman of the Year (2015) and has twice been recognized unanimously to the All-ASUN First Team (2016, 2018). She helped lead FGCU to the 2016 ASUN Regular Season Championship. She recently became one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award and already holds the school records for career starts and innings pitched. She was named to the 2016 NFCA All-South Region Third Team and will likely end her career in the top-3 in school history in every significant single-season and career pitching statistic.
 
Head Coach Dave Deiros on Randolph:
"I have been a coach and educator for 25 years, and Riley is easily in the top one percent of any student-athlete I have ever worked with. The transformation she has made over the last four years into a star on and off the field is nothing short of spectacular. Her work ethic is off the charts, and it has been gratifying watching her realize her success through unmatched diligence. Riley is our No. 1 pitcher in every sense of the phrase. We literally have a chance to win every game she pitches."
 
MAGGIE RICK
Rick carries a 3.90 grade-point average in economics with a minor in management. She has been named to the Athletics Director Honor Roll seven times (2015-18), the Dean's List five times (2015-18) and the President's List twice (2017-18). The Honors College member ranks in the top 10 percent of students in the Lutgert College of Business. She has also been recognized as an ASUN Winner for Life Recipient (Fall 2018), ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2018) and a three-time ASUN All-Academic Team honoree (2016-18).
 
Rick serves the university as an academic tutor for multiple subjects at the Hartley Academic Resource Center. Other service activities on campus she's been part of include the Project Life Movement, FGCU Water Games, Spring Fling, SoVi Move-In, St. Baldrick's Day, and Eagles Council. She aids in the community at the Boys and Girls Club of Lee County, the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Habitat for Humanity, St. Matthew's House, Harry Chapin Food Bank, Path2Freedom, Collier County Conservation, and Gladiolus Learning and Development Center.
 
Her success on the court is extensive. She wrapped up her illustrious career as FGCU's all-time leader in assists (while ranking fifth in ASUN history) and matches played. She was named the 2016 ASUN Setter of the Year and landed on that season's All-ASUN First Team. She made the All-ASUN Second Team three times (2015, 2017-18) and landed on the 2015 All-ASUN Freshmen Team. As a senior, she helped lead the Eagles to their fourth ASUN Regular Season Championship and first ASUN Tournament Championship, while also guiding them to their first appearance and victory in the NCAA Championship tournament where they were the only team to knock off one of the top-16 host seeds (No. 13 UCF) in the opening round. She is the first four-time all-conference and three-time all-academic team selection in program history.
 
Head Coach Matt Botsford on Rick:
"I have been fortunate to coach Maggie for the past four years. During that time, she has excelled on the court and in the classroom, while demonstrating a commitment to our program's values and culture. She epitomizes excellence in multiple arenas and has done so in a fashion that demonstrates her devotion to FGCU, her teammates and to our community. Her combination of personality, professionalism, and a strong work ethic, has helped to propel our program to new heights and has made an impact on all of those who she has come in contact with."
 
#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 visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 76 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 35 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in spring 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours - being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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