Slippery Rock University women's volleyball standout Jen Blasko (Summit Hill, Pa./Marian Catholic) was named Monday as one of the 2008-09 recipients of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
Blasko, who hails from Summit Hill and is a graduate of Marian Catholic High School, received the women's honor. Gannon University basketball standout Kyle Goldcamp received the men's award.
Blasko is the seventh SRU student-athlete to receive the PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the second in the last two academic years. Women's track and field national champion pole vaulter Jennifer Hansen (Charleston, W.V./Capital) was honored in 2007-08.
Men's basketball standout Mark Metzka (1994-95) was the first SRU student-athlete to be named as the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was subsequently joined in the elite club by women's basketball standout Lori Robinson (1995-96), football standouts Dave Sabolcik (1997-98) and Tim Kusniez (1999-2000) and women's track and field national champion Karyn McCready (2003-04).
Prior to being named as the Nevins Award winner, Blasko earned a PSAC Fall Top Ten Award and was named as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® performer by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
She was one of two Rock student-athletes to receive PSAC Top Ten and Academic All-America® honors during the 2008-09 academic year. Women's cross country/track and field All-America performer Jenn Harpp (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) was the recipient of a Winter Top Ten Award and earned second-team Academic All-America® status.
The selection of Blasko and Harpp as Top Ten Award winners extended to 12 the number of consecutive academic years in which at least one SRU student-athlete has earned that prestige honor.
Blasko graduated from SRU in May 2009 with a perfect 4.0 grade point average as an exercise science major at SRU and has been admitted to SRU's nationally renowned physical therapy doctoral program.
On the court, Blasko earned Daktronics Inc. first-team and American Volleyball Coaches Association honorable mention all-region honors in 2008. She ranked ninth in the PSAC in kills (2.96 pg) and led the team in kills, digs (3.02 pg) and service aces (52).
Blasko concluded her collegiate career as a four-year starter for veteran Rock head coach #Laurie Lokash#. She is a three-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division selection and, in addition to her all-region honors this fall, was named to AVCA All-Atlantic Region honors in 2007.
She also earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District® honors in each of her final three seasons and was a four-year member of the PSAC Scholar-Athlete list.
Blasko helped lead The Rock to a 26-12 record this year and a fourth consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament, as well as a berth in the PSAC Tournament for the second time in her four years. She is one of only three players in Rock history to have played in the NCAA Tournament all four seasons of her collegiate eligibility.
Blasko headlined a list of 169 Rock student-athletes who earned PSAC Scholar-Athlete status during the 2008-09 academic year. Click here to view the complete list: http://www.rockathletics.com/sports/2009/6/28/GEN_0628090823.aspx?id=210
The Academic All–America®, Academic All-District®, Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Top Ten Award and Scholar-Athlete competitions all recognize student-athletes who distinguish themselves in the classroom as well as the arena of competition. To tbe a candidate for the honors, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials.
The PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is in its 19th year of existence and was renamed last year to honor longtime East Stroudsburg sports information director Pete Nevins, who passed away in January of 2007.
