Six Racers Selected As Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholars

Due to outstanding academic and athletic achievement, six Murray State student-athletes have been recognized as an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar for the 2021-22 academic year.

Vicente Correia of men's cross country, Eliza Mae Kho of women's golf, Dahlia Miller of women's volleyball, Jordyn Naranjo of baseball, Jamie Skarupsky of women's soccer and Rod Thomas of men's basketball all earned a spot on one of four teams for their respective sports.

Miller and Thomas were both named to the first team, while Correia, Kho and Naranjo earned second team nods and Skarupsky were named to the third team. The awards also marked the second consecutive year that Kho, Naranjo, Skarupsky and Thomas have been honored by Diverse Magazine.

Diverse Magazine sponsors the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards to honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. The awards are inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe Jr.'s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis. In addition to their athletic ability and academic performance, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars demonstrate a commitment to community service and student leadership.

Miller was in the regular rotation for the Racers last fall, as she appeared in all 29 matches and played in all 110 sets. The sophomore came up with 22 services aces for MSU last season and also tallied 30 assists. Currently undecided on a major, Miller went into the spring semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

A three year-member of the men's basketball team, Thomas works as hard in the classroom as he does on the court. Thomas entered the spring semester with a 4.0 cumulative GPA in health and physical education. On the court, the junior played in 15 games and scored a season-high nine points in 11 minutes against Tennessee Wesleyan.

As a transfer, Correia helped the Racers turn in one of their best seasons in recent memory. He led the Racers in the season opener and also turned in the fifth best 8K time in school history at 25.28 at North Alabama. Academically, the business administration major finished the fall with a 3.59 GPA.

Naranjo went 2-2 on the mound with two for the Racers this season over 16 appearances. He struck out 20 and walked just 11 all while posting the team's second-best ERA at 4.20. The redshirt sophomore finished the fall with a cumulative GPA of 3.64 and is majoring in chemistry.

Kho turned in the Racers' fourth best scoring average this season at 78.2 and notched two top 20 and one top 10 finish. Her low round of 74 came in October at the Chris Bannister Classic, in Oxford, Alabama. The Malaysian native is currently a junior and majoring in psychology.

Skarupsky appeared in one game as a keeper for the Racers this season and did not allow any goals. In the classroom, she is currently pursuing her MBA and got off to a great start with a 4.0 in her first semester of grad school.

Murray State University Athletics

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