FORT MYERS, Fla. – The four finalists for the 2022 Kavanagh Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award have been selected as announced by the FGCU Department of Athletics. The winner will be announced at the department end-of-year celebration, The NESTIES, on Wednesday, April 27.
 
The Kavanagh 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 grade-point-average) with leadership and community service, as well as demonstrated leadership within their peer group.
 
The 2022 finalists include: swimming's Wiktoria Czarnecka (Lublin, Poland/Liceum NR 10 W Lublinie), baseball's Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS), women's soccer's Zoey Reed-Spitzer (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS), and Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) of indoor volleyball and beach volleyball.
 
From 2003-09, the scholar-athlete award was given to the male and female student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA. The award is now presented to at least one senior who shows a combination of excellence within his or her playing venue, in the classroom and as a role model for others. The 2021 Kavanagh Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award (renamed in honor of Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh) was presented to Maja Ornberg (women's tennis) and Kayla Whetstone (beach volleyball).
 
"This is the 20^th year of presenting our highest honor and we are again blessed with tremendous individuals who comprise our senior class. It is always extremely challenging to narrow the nominees down to the four finalists – even more so to then select the winner or winners," said Kavanagh. "These four wonderful Eagles have certainly distinguished themselves in so many ways and are truly worthy of this award which befits what everyone who dons the Green & Blue daily work to represent."

For more information, and to view former award recipients, visit FGCUAthletics.com/Awards. Below are more details on each of the four finalists.
 
Wiktoria Czarnecka – Swimming – Free/Fly – Lublin, Poland / Liceum NR 10 W Lublinie
With a 3.87 GPA in psychology, Czarnecka has been a CSCAA Scholar All-American twice in her career earning second team accolades in 2021 and 2022. A member of the FGCU Honors College, she has been a member of the President's List, the Dean's List, the AD Honor Roll and the ASUN Honor Roll throughout her career. She plans to attend graduate school to study industrial organizational psychology in her home country of Poland.
 
In the pool, she was chosen as the 2022 CCSA Swimmer of the Year to highlight a brilliant career. All told, Czarnecka reached the podium 23 times at the CCSA Championship meet where she was a five-time champion in individual events and a 10-time champion in relay events. She also helped spearhead the Eagles to a share of the 2021 CCSA title. This year, along with her teammate Petra Halmai, she was named the co-Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championship and sits third all-time in FGCU history in the 50 freestyle and the 100 butterfly, as well as 5^th in the 100 freestyle.
 
Czarnecka has contributed nearly 50 hours of service to the FGCU campus community and Greater Southwest Florida in her time for the Green & Blue. She has worked on campus clean-ups, participated in the annual international student-athlete panel, and helped prepare information to assist fellow international student-athletes in their transition to college. She has also volunteered at local elementary schools around Southwest Florida, while finding time to assist others in her native home community of Lublin.
 
Head Swimming & Diving Coach Dave Rollins on Czarnecka:
"Tori is the type of FGCU student-athlete for whom this award was created. Not only has she been an outstanding athlete, she carries one of the top grade-point-averages on our team and has had her hand in countless community events. She has made an impact on our program since her first day here through her relentless work ethic and desire to learn and improve. Her accolades in each area are many. Her passion for FGCU has been felt in all that she does. Tori has undoubtedly helped transform our program and has made FGCU a better place for those still to come."
 
Brian Ellis – Baseball – Outfielder – Oviedo, Fla. / Hagerty HS
The possessor of magna cum laude distinction after earning his undergraduate degree in exercise science with a 3.79 GPA last spring, Ellis now holds a 4.0 GPA as he pursues a certificate in Health Services Administration. Throughout his career, he has been a member of the President's List, the Dean's List, the AD Honor Roll and the ASUN Honor Roll. He also has served as a teaching assistant at FGCU for Chemistry I and as an intern for our Sports Medicine division.  He was also recently admitted into FGCU's prestigious Doctoral of Physical Therapy Program.
 
A decorated performer on the diamond, he has contributed to one ASUN regular season and South Division title.  The Eagle's first-ever team captain, Ellis entered this season on the 2022 Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List. He has been an All-ASUN First Team selection, as well as a member of this season's ASUN Preseason First Team. Brian is again amongst the ASUN top hitters in several categories, including first in doubles and on base percentage, second in runs scored, third in batting average, hits and walks, and ninth in slugging percentage. He is fifth in the nation in on base percentage and sixth in doubles and getting hit by pitches. Overall, in his Green & Blue career, he has started 108 of 117 games, with a .351 batting average, 144 hits, 70 RBI and seven homers.
 
A native of Oviedo, Florida, Ellis has contributed over 80 hours helping both the campus and Greater Southwest Florida communities, including involvement with the FGCU Food Bank, Laces of Love, the Nub Ability Camp, the Naples Therapeutic Riding Center, and the CALUSA Nature Center and Planetarium. He has also served his fellow student-athletes as a three-time member of the Eagles Council and on the FGCU Athletics Health and Wellness Committee.  Finally, he completed the EAGLE Leadership Institute.
 
Head Baseball Coach Dave Tollett On Ellis:
"Having been a part of FGCU Athletics for 20 years, I truly understand what this award means and the prestigious nature of it. Brian is an exceptional finalist as he has a tremendous work ethic, and in-depth knowledge of his degree, unquestionable integrity, leadership among his fellow student-athletes, and love for FGCU. I've coached for 35 years and have had over 10 players play in the major leagues – but Brian holds the distinction of being the first team captain I've named throughout my career. I've never done so before because the expectations are generally too much, but not for Brian. He is the best all-around player that I have coached. I value most his integrity; he is a man of his word, honest, fair, practical, and truly cares for those around him. It's been a genuine joy and honor to coach him over these years and to see how he has represented FGCU in so many ways."
 
Zoey Reed-Spitzer – Women's Soccer – Midfielder – Naples, Fla. / Gulf Coast HS
Women's soccer standout Zoey Reed-Spitzer graduated this past December summa cum laude with a 3.93 grade-point-average in economics. A two-time ASUN All-Academic Team honoree, she earned President's List, Dean's List, AD Honor Roll and ASUN Honor Roll accolades throughout her career. Post-graduation, she has continued to work alongside professor Amir Neto to co-author a paper on financial literacy geared towards small business owners related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, she served as a tutor for fellow student-athletes. She has accepted an offer to attend the University of Arizona to obtain her master's in Applied Economics and Policy Analysis.
 
On the pitch, she was a two-time All-ASUN Second Team selection and served as team captain for three seasons – leading the Green & Blue to a pair of regular season titles. Reed-Spitzer was selected as a member of the 2021 All-South Region Third Team and was also honored in 2017 as a member of the ASUN All-Freshman Team. Overall, she started 79 of 83 matches played with four goals and six assists in five seasons with the Eagles, highlighted by two goals this past fall, including the game-winner at FAU.
 
Off the field, the Naples native was a three-year member of the Eagles Council, serving as Vice President in 2020-21. She was also a member of the Lutgert College of Business Student Advisory Board.  In the community, Reed-Spitzer contributed over 100 hours of service to Southwest Florida including work with youth soccer groups, Habitat for Humanity, and transferring data from various scientific studies.
 
Head Women's Soccer Coach Jim Blankenship On Reed-Spitzer:
"It is a great honor to see Zoey as a finalist for the 2022 Kavanagh Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award – she is an outstanding student-athlete who has excelled on the field, in the classroom, and within the community. Her individual talent is obvious, but it is her team-first mentality and servant leadership style which make her a world-class teammate and leader. She goes above and beyond in all things; she is hard-working, diligent, smart, ambitious, passionate, driven, and considerate. Zoey's contributions to our program will forever be ingrained for those who come after her. Her contributions have been felt by so many and what she has done for her teammates, fellow student-athletes, and the community cannot be understated."
 
Cortney VanLiew – Indoor Volleyball/Beach Volleyball – Outside Hitter – Seymour, Ind. / Columbus East HS
A graduate student working on her master's in business administration, VanLiew earned her undergraduate degree in accounting posting a 3.68 GPA with a minor in Spanish last spring. She was also a member of FGCU's Honors College. This past fall, she was honored as a Volleyball Senior CLASS Award All-America second team selection. Overall in her career, the native of Seymour, Indiana, has been a President's List, Dean's List, AD Honor Roll, and ASUN Honor Roll selection throughout her career. She was also a three-time ASUN All-Academic honoree and was the volleyball program's first two-time CoSIDA All-Academic selection.
 
Her play on the court was just as fantastic as her academic accomplishments. Amidst leading her team to a pair of ASUN regular season and conference tournament championships, she was also a key contributor to the Eagles advancing to the NCAA second round in 2018 and again this past season. Individually, a member of the ASUN All-Decade Team for volleyball, she holds FGCU's career record for kills with 1,658 and is one of just three players in program history to have 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Overall, she was a two-time indoor ASUN Player of the Year and five-year All-ASUN honoree and an Honorable Mention All-American in 2018.  In beach volleyball she has helped lead the current Eagles to a #20 national ranking and the most team wins in a season.
 
A member of FGCU's Hall of Fame for students, in the community, VanLiew has compiled a phenomenal 250+ community service hours during her time at FGCU. A two-term President of the Eagles Council, she currently serves as the ASUN SAAC President and has been involved on a national level with her peers. Additionally, she has been an advocate and outspoken ambassador for FGCU on mental health for student-athletes. She is at the forefront of working with young children during camps and clinics and has been heavily involved in outreach on and off campus, as well as a tutor for her peer student-athletes. Her next step involves pursuing a career in intercollegiate athletics.
 
Head Volleyball Coach Matt Botsford On VanLiew:
"What Cortney has done here at FGCU and the manner in which she has done it without a doubt will be the standard by which future nominees will be judged. She is the embodiment of the type of person, student, leader, competitor, ambassador, and teammate that we spend our careers looking to bring into the University. What truly distinguishes her, however, is not what she has done for FGCU, but how she feels about this place and what it means to her. The pride she has about her time at FGCU is special. Cortney believes that FGCU is responsible for shaping her and giving her an outlet to excel. There is some truth to that, but the reality is SHE has been integral in shaping this place for US and we have been able to excel because of her and her contributions. Cortney represents the best of FGCU and I have yet to meet someone more deserving."
 
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 92 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 44 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) 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 in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 25 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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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