Purdue Calumet's Graber and Wartman Named NAIA Scholar-Athletes
The Purdue University Calumet women’s soccer team saw two members earn 2015 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, as senior Kami Graber and junior Michelle Wartman both earned first-time awards.
Graber (Nashville, Ind./Brown County) and Wartman (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) were one of 588 women’s soccer student-athletes in the NAIA to earn the award, which requires students maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale along with junior academic status to qualify for the honor.
Graber, a senior midfielder, finished her final season in a Peregrine uniform with three goals and two assists, taking a second-best 44 shots on the year. The team captain, Graber competed on the women’s soccer team for the second time in her career after playing in 2013. Prior to her time on the pitch, Graber was a four-year letter winner on the nationally-ranked women’s basketball team, where she stands as the No. 5 scorer in program history with 1,607 points.
She’s majoring in biology with plans to graduate this December.
Wartman, a junior defender, played in 10 matches, starting one in 2015. She tallied an assist in her third season on the squad, and held a shot percentage of .333. As a sophomore, Wartman tallied four goals during her sophomore campaign, which stool tied for second on the team.
A nursing major, Wartman is a member of the Dean’s List and earned Purdue Calumet Semester Honors in both Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. She’s also an avid member of Purdue Calumet’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The selections marked the fourth and fifth Scholar-Athlete selections in program history, joining former Peregrine standouts Rachel Shmagranoff (twice) and Maxzine Rossler. The women’s soccer program began in 2012.
Purdue Calumet's Basar, Kelly Named NAIA Scholar-Athletes
Purdue University Calumet seniors Sammy Basar and Hannah Kelly were named two of 428 women’s volleyball student-athletes across the country to be named a NAIA 2015 Daktronics Scholar-Athlete, as released by the organization Friday.
Sammy Basar (Plainfield, Ill./North) was a two-year letter winner for the Peregrines, playing in 45 career matches and 158 sets in her two seasons with the Black and gold. Basar led the Peregrine squad averaging 3.98 digs/set and ranked second on the team averaging 0.46 service aces/set.
Hannah Kelly (Peru, Ind./Eastern (Ancilla) played in seven matches for the Black and Gold, including a conference match with St. Francis this season where she recorded a career high four kills and .364 attack percentage. Kelly also played a major role in community engagement, volunteering in the freshman and transfer student workshops.
Basar is majoring in psychology and Kelly is a nursing major. This marks the first NAIA Scholar-Athlete honor of their careers.
In order to be nominated by an institution's head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status to qualify for this honor.
For the full list of award winners, see the NAIA’s full release here
Purdue Calumet's Pedro Medieta Namd NAIA Scholar Athlete
Purdue University Calumet men’s soccer senior Pedro Mendieta earned 2015 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors as released by the organization Friday.
Pedro Mendieta (Lynwood, Ill./Mt. Carmel) was one of 382 men’s soccer student-athletes in the NAIA to earn the award, which requires students maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale along with junior academic status to qualify for the honor.
Mendieta, a three-year letterwinner for the Peregrines, played in 53 career games at the defender position and notched two assists, en route to leading the Black and Gold to their first ever NAIA National Tournament appearance since the program was reinstated in 2012.
A sociology major with an emphasis in criminal justice, Mendieta is an active participant in Purdue Calumet’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Mendieta’s award marked the third Scholar-Athlete selections in program history, joining former Peregrine standouts Victor Garcia and Sahid Navarro.