The Big 12 Conference released its 2019 Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll with a total of 308 West Virginia University student-athletes making the list. The conference recognizes all student-athletes at its member institutions during each semester with a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) or higher.

 

Of the 308 WVU student-athletes recognized by the Big 12 for their academic excellence, 73 registered a GPA of 4.0 in the fall semester.

 

Among more than 70 athletes on the list below with a  4.0 is Bridgeport High School alum Elijah Drummond. Three other student-athletes graduating from BHS were also among the 308 athletes named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll.

 

WVU track and field's McKenna Smith was honored. Football players Dylan Tonkery and Noah Drummond also were recognized for their classroom work.

 

The 73 Mountaineers named to the list with a perfect 4.0 GPA in the semester include: Jimmy Starnes, Tim Wynia, Braden Zarbnisky (baseball); Chase Harler (men’s basketball); Jake Abbott, Jarret Doege, Elijah Drummond, Casey Legg, Graeson Malashevich, Zach Sandwisch (football); Kurtis Grant, Philipp Matlari (golf); Abby Kaufman, McKenna Linnen, Sydney Marler, Julia Merwin, Taylor Sell, Kianna Yancey (gymnastics); David Koenders, Verena Zaisberger (rifle); Megan Casner, Grace Crankovic, Ashley Dibling, Nicole Dibling, Lisa Eller, Isabelle Hidalgo, Kileigh Lade, Kaira Lay, Madisyn Lee, Olivia Martinelli, Lydia Nicolai, Madelyn Oberschmidt, Megan Present, Lucie Steinmetz, Emma Toy (rowing); Pascal Derwaritsch, Sam Morgan, Spenser Myers (men’s soccer); Jonathan Bennett, Zach Boley, Ryan Kelly, PJ Lenz, Josh Madzy, Matthew Marsh, Conrad Molinaro, Jack Portmann, Michael Sandner, Austin Smith, David Snider (men’s swimming & diving); Camille Burt, Miranda Marcucci, Abigail Riggs, Brooke Zedar (women’s swimming & diving); Giovanna Caputo, Nicole Roc (tennis); Marianne Abdalah, Antigone Archer, Tessa Constantine, Ellie Gardner, Olivia Hill, Peyton Kukura, Malina Mitchell, Myesha Nott, Avigail Radabaugh, Bree Warren (track & field/cross country); Gabrielle Cuckovich, Erin Slinde, Lacey Zerwas (volleyball); Jeffrey Boyd, Caleb Graber, Kyle Myers, Tucker Nadeau and David Smith (wrestling).

 

The football and rowing teams led all Mountaineer athletic teams with 44 and 42 honorees, respectively, on the honor roll. Other total student-athletes on the honor roll include, track & field/cross country (27), baseball (24), women’s swimming & diving (24), men’s swimming & diving (23), men’s soccer (23), women’s soccer (20), wrestling (16), gymnastics (15), volleyball (12), men’s basketball (10), rifle (9), women’s basketball (8), golf (7) and tennis (4). 

 

Twenty-four West Virginia student-athletes graduated in December with degrees.

 

The Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll is recorded and released each semester and recognizes those Big 12 student-athletes who recorded a 3.00 or better GPA the previous semester.

 

More than 5,000 student-athletes each semester have been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in the Conference’s history.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Noah Drummond, left, with brother Elijah and mother Cynthia, while Dylan Tonkery and McKenna Smith are shown below. Top photo courtesy of the Drummond family, Tonkery photo by Ben Queen Photography and photo of Smith courtesy WVU Sports Communications.