Kristina Bolterstein Selected as Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week

CLEVELAND, OH — Miami’s Kristina Bolterstein (track and field) was named the MAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week on April 12, 2007.

Bolterstein (Jr., 3.55, zoology, Middleburg Heights, Ohio) cleared a height of 5-8 3/4 and placed first in the high jump at the Duke Invitational. It was the third straight outdoor meet that Bolterstein had matched or exceeded the regional-qualifying height of 5-8 3/4 and was the third time this outdoor season that Bolterstein had placed in the top two in the high jump. Bolterstein bested Duke's Debra Vento for top honors in the 33-athlete event and also placed in front of two high jumpers from MAC foe Toledo.

The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honor is presented to a MAC male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during that week's competition.  The winners are selected by a group of the conference's faculty athletic representatives.

Female Nominees:

Bowling Green: Ashley Jakupcin (tennis, No. 1 singles/No. 3 doubles, Sr., 3.74, psychology, Dublin, Ohio) was a perfect 4-0 last week, going 2-0 in both singles and doubles, as the Falcons won a pair of MAC matches, over Miami and Ball State. On Friday, she helped the Falcons to a 5-2 win over the RedHawks, rallying back after losing the first set for a three-set victory over MU's Katrina Lomidze at the top singles flight. She and freshman Samantha Kintzel had combined to win a tiebreaker in their third-flight doubles match to help BG take the doubles point. On Saturday, Jakupcin again teamed with Kintzel for a third-flight doubles win, this time by an 8-4 result, to help the Brown and Orange take the doubles point again. She then, defeated BSU's Sophie Quist, battling back after dropping the first set. That win came with the Falcons leading the match by a 3-2 count, needing to capture one of the two remaining singles matches for the overall victory. Jakupcin has moved into a tie for fifth place on the BGSU career list for singles wins with 75, just four shy of the school record. She is now 14th in career doubles wins (52) and has moved into a tie for eighth on the overall victories list (127). The Falcons are 12-5 overall and 4-1 in MAC play. BGSU has already topped its MAC win total for all of last season (3-5), and the team's 4-1 conference start is its best in seven years.

Buffalo: Katrin Fischer (tennis, No. 6 singles/No. 3 doubles, Sr., 3.730, journalism and world affairs, Ternitz, Austria) helped the Bulls to a 7-0 win over MAC foe Akron in UB's only match of the weekend. She paired with Tina Jacob for an 8-0 win over Alyssa Carlson and Aude Percherin at third doubles. In singles play, she scored the clinching fourth point to win for the Bulls at sixth singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Laura Hemlepp. For the season, Fischer is 14-4 in singles and 10-6 in doubles play.

Central Michigan: Sheena Smith (gymnastics, vault, Sr., 3.29, broadcast and cinematic arts, Middleburg, Fla.) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals with a regional qualifying score of 9.825 on the vault. She will be making her second career appearance at the regionals, but first as an individual. Smith placed third on vault at the MAC Championships. She also recorded a second-place finish on bars at the MAC Championships.

Kent: Stephanie Blackstone (track & field, Sr., 3.919, photo illustration, Everett, Pa.) finished third in the 10,000 meters at the Duke Invitational.  She set a personal best time of 37:11.38 among 16 competitors.

Northern Illinois: Jenny Edner (tennis, So., 3.13, psychology, Stocksund, Sweden) went 2-0 in doubles over the weekend for the Huskies with partner Dora Delgadillo.  The two beat Eastern Michigan’s Emma Czarnecki and Joanna Woo, 8-2, at No. 3 doubles on Saturday.  On Sunday, they beat Toledo’s Jenny Belsky and Sarah Horning, 8-7, (7-1), at No. 3 doubles.  Edner, along with Delgadillo, has won her last four doubles matches.

Ohio: Debbie Szalejko (softball, Sr., 3.50, marketing and international business, Beavercreek, Ohio) batted .583 (7-for-12) in four games, totaled seven hits, three runs, three RBI, two doubles and a triple. Overall, Szalejko leads the team in six offensive categories, including a team-best .381 batting average, 40 hits, 10 walks and three triples. Off the field, Szalejko has a 3.498 grade point average and is the community service liaison for the Ohio University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a position she's held since 2004.  The team co-captain has started in all 35 games this season for the Bobcats.  She's also a member of Phi Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity and is head of the sports and activities committee.

Western Michigan: Carrie Jeanmaire (women’s tennis, Sr., nursing, 3.66, Belvidere, Ill.) went a perfect 4-0 in two MAC tennis matches to help the No. 62 nationally-ranked Broncos improve to 5-0 in conference play and win their 23rd-straight conference match. Jeanmaire defeated Ball State at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-1, and at No. 3 doubles with partner Emily Dudzik, 8-2, and took down Miami at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-0 and No. 3 doubles with Dudzik, 8-4. Jeanmaire won career victory No. 194 and her 107th career doubles match both against Miami and is two wins shy of tying the school record in career doubles victories. She has won seven singles matches in a row and is 10-0 in conference play this season.

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