FORT MYERS, Fla. – Cortney VanLiew and Connor Gavigan were named Scholar-Athletes of the Month for August as Zoey Spitzer and Lucas Kiprotich took home the honors for September. 

A female and male Eagle are chosen as the FGCU Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Month throughout the academic year. Factors in the selection for this honor include a combination of significant athletic and overall academic success.

With the fall competition postponed, each team is on pace to resume its season once the spring semester begins. 

VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) carries a 3.65 GPA, is majoring in accounting, and has landed on the Dean's List and President's List twice, while being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll four times. Set to start her senior season in 2021, the Indiana native will enter the year with 1,213 kills and 757 digs, joining Amanda Carroll and Brooke Youngquist Sweat as one of just three players in program history with at least 1,000 kills and 500 digs. Her 20 career double-doubles is on pace to become the program's all-time kills leader and is projected to finish among the top five in ASUN history. VanLiew is currently the President of the Eagles' Council.

"It's always great seeing Cortney recognized for the tremendous work she does on the academic side of things," said head women's volleyball coach Matt Botsford. "Obviously she is a phenomenal talent out on the court, but what really makes her special is the care and attention she gives to all facets of her life here at FGCU. Academics are always a priority for her and we love seeing her excelling in that arena as well." 

Gavigan (Aurora, Colo./Creighton) is a psychology major, holds a 3.72 GPA and is a five-time Dean's List and six-time Athletic Director's Honor Roll member. Throughout his time with the Green and Blue, he's appeared in 26 games between the pipes, starting in 25 of them. The Colorado native recorded a 6-4 record last season, securing two shutouts with over 900 minutes logged on the pitch. Gavigan serves as the Vice President of Eagles' Council.

"Connor is an exceptional example of a student-athlete. I've never had to ask him to reshuffle his priorities as a student or ever witnessed him cruising in training," said head men's soccer coach Jesse Cormier. "He's never taken a rep or day off in his pursuit of excellence and is always searching on ways to improve himself academically, athletically, and as a leader of this program. Because of his drive to be the best version of himself, he has the respect of his teammates, and his coaches. I'm convinced when he graduates, he will make a positive impact on this world."

Spitzer (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) is pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics and carries a 3.93 GPA. She's a two-time Dean's List and four-time President's List member, has landed on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll each semester, while also serving on the Lutgert College of Business Student Advisory Board.

In her three seasons so far, the local product has appeared in 53 matches, starting 49 of them. Last season, Spitzer recorded a start in all 17 games as she went on to garner ASUN Second-Team honors – her second All-Conference nod since being named to the All-Freshman squad in 2017. She played the full 90-plus minutes in all but two matches as the Eagles back line conceded 14 goals, the lowest of any ASUN team.

"Zoey does a great job of leading by example. She is one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in the classroom and I'm proud of her for being recognized for that," said head women's soccer coach Jim Blankenship. "We always challenge our players to hold themselves to high academic standards and Zoey has done that since the moment she stepped on campus."

Kiprotich (Eldoret, Kenya/Eastern Kentucky) holds a 3.22 GPA, majoring in integrated studies, and an Athletic Director's Honor Roll member last fall. During the 2019 season, Kiprotich notched four top-10 finishes and became the program's new 8K record holder at the Live in Lou Classic, breaking the mark Assistant Coach Argeo Cruz held for six years. The Kenya native capped off his season at the ASUN Championship with an eighth overall finish as he collected ASUN Second-Team honors.

"I am proud of how far Lucas has come academically. The fact that he worked to overcome initial challenges, that's what matters most," said head men's and women's cross country coach Cassandra Goodson. "He is finishing strong while still balancing the demands of being a student-athlete. Lucas continues to work incredibly hard on his academics, running and personal growth."

For complete coverage of FGCU athletics, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@FGCUEagles), Instagram (@FGCUAthletics) and Facebook (@FGCUAthletics) and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU athletics and all 15 sport programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
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FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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