Four Tulsa Student-Athletes Earn American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Awards
7/9/2019 10:12:00 AM | Tulsa Hurricane, Academics
PROVIDENCE, R.I. –– Four University of Tulsa senior student-athletes –– Alyssa Bolliger, Martha Matoula, Emily Thorson and Majed Kilani –– were named as Scholar-Athlete Award winners by the American Athletic Conference, it was announced today.
The league's Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR) select annually 22 student-athletes (10 males, 12 females), one from each American sponsored sport in addition to an at-large selection from a sport not sponsored by the conference. The recipients receive a financial scholarship of $2,000 and trophy.
Tulsa, Houston and Memphis tied for the most scholar-athlete award-winners this year.
Bolliger, from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, represents the sport of women's cross-country. She was a 10-time letterwinner in cross-country and track & field, while earning her bachelor's degree in exercise & sports science last spring with a 3.640 grade point average. She had a 3.53 GPA in the MBA program during the 2018-19 season.
A team captain, Bolliger placed 19th overall in helping Tulsa place second at the American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships and 62nd in a field of 232 runners at the NCAA Regional in the fall.
Volleyball student-athlete Emily Thorson, from The Woodlands, Texas, was a two-time first-team all-conference selection as an outside hitter. She had a team-leading 370 kills and 441.5 points her senior season, while finishing her career with 1,149 kills and 161 total blocks. As a senior, Thorson was named the school's Warren Garrison Academic Excellence Award winner for the female student-athlete with the top grade-point average, graduating with a 3.825 GPA in management.
Two tennis student-athletes also earned the American's scholar-athlete award –– Martha Matoula for the women and Majed Kilani for the men.
Matoula, from Thessaloniki, Greece, was named to the American Athletic Conference's all-conference team as a senior after boasting a 22-3 overall record, primarily playing the No. 2 position. Matoula turned in three straight 20-win seasons and completed her career ranked 8th on the school's all-time wins list with an 86-27 career mark.
A four-time selection to the American's all-academic team, Matoula had a 3.122 grade point average in accounting.
A native of Tunis, Tunisia, Kilani was a consistent mainstay for the Golden Hurricane tennis team the past four seasons and participated in the last two NCAA D1 Singles Championships. He completed his senior season with an overall 20-17 record, including seven wins against top-100 ranked players. Kilani finished the year as the nation's 63rd-ranked singles player by the ITA.
Kilani maintained a 3.332 GPA in management with a specialization in sports management
All the nominees must have maintained both excellent academic credentials and outstanding athletic performance; competed in an American Athletic Conference sponsored sport and attained a minimum of senior standing.
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