April 08, 2007
Jacobs' Lauren Arceneaux and Huntley's Coryn Marzejon each received a pleasant surprise this week.
Neither of the junior athletes knew what was coming. Neither knew that April 6 - which came Friday - was the date celebrated since 1987 by the NCAA at National Student-Athlete Day. It's not as well-known as National Secretary's Day (later this month), National Teacher Day (next month) or Casimir Pulaski Day (last month).
Arceneaux and Marzejon were honored for their athletic and academic prowess by the National Collegiate Scouting Association, a service their families are using to help with the college recruitment process. Arceneaux was named the Softball Student-Athlete of the Year, while Marzejon was the Track Student-Athlete of the Year.
They were selected from more than 10,000 student-athletes who use the service throughout the country. The awards are given for excellence in academics and athletics by those who also have made significant contributions to the community.
Arceneaux, a pitcher-shortstop for the Golden Eagles, batted .491 with 14 stolen bases and 16 RBIs for Jacobs last season. She was a Northwest Herald first-team All-Area selection and owns a 4.0 grade-point average.
"It's nice to be recognized," said Arceneaux, who didn't know about the award until she received a letter this week. "I think [the academic recognition] is really important."
Arceneaux hopes having her profile with NCSA, along with her high school season and playing with the Midland Magic, a Bloomington-area elite travel team, will help get her name out to NCAA Division I schools.
Marzejon's name already is well-known to D-I track coaches. She finished third in the Class AA 400-meter dash and seventh in the 200 at the IHSA Girls State Track and Field Meet last spring. She also took eighth in the 400 as a freshman and owns a 3.5 GPA.
"Wow! That's awesome," Marzejon said when she found out about her honor. "I'd never heard of that. That [academics] is what it's all about. You can be good in sports, but it's another thing to get good grades too."
Full link: http://www.mchenrycountysports.com
