YOUNGSTOWN STATE Goettsch, Crummey earn top honors as student-athletes
Recognition of the pair highlighted the 15th annual Academic Awards banquet.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Diver Brandi Goettsch and football's Pat Crummey were recognized as the YSU/Vindicator student-athletes of the year Thursday at the 15th annual Academic Awards banquet held in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center.
The two awards highlighted an evening which also featured the recognition of 155 Youngstown State scholar-athletes along with many other athletic and academic achievements by the YSU athletes.
Goettsch, a graduate of Liberty High and who carries a 3.6 cumulative grade point average in education, has completed a remarkable four-year career for the Penguins.
She was twice named Female Diver of the Year when the Penguins competed in the Mid-Continent Conference and this past year earned similar honors when the team moved into the Horizon League.
This past season Goettsch won the 3-meter diving event and was second in the 1-meter event at the Horizon League championships.
The is a four-time NCAA zone Qualifier and a four-time team most valuable player.
She set and reset YSU diving records 16 times during her career.
Crummey, who recently signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants, completed an outstanding four-year career with the YSU football team.
Last season, the 6-foot-4, 285 pound offensive tackle was named to five different All-American teams and was an All-Gateway Conference first-team selection in both his junior and senior seasons.
In the past three seasons Crummey started 37 of the team's 38 games at tackle, while the Penguins recorded a 29-9 record during that span.
He is also the only offensive lineman ever to win the Jim Zdelar Big Mac Offensive Lineman of the Year award two successive seasons.
Goettsch is the first member of the YSU swimming and diving team to earn The Vindicator's annual honor. Crummey, on the other hand, is the 11th football player to earn the honor in the 15-year history of the award. He is only the second offensive lineman, joining Mike Cummings (1988).
Marilyn O'Bruba, YSU coordinator of Athletic Academic Counseling, introduced all of the scholar-athletes who were present and also announced the top YSU academic teams, who were also recognized by the Horizon League.
The top female team was volleyball, with a 3.26 grade point average, while the top male team was baseball, with a 2.92 grade point average.
Two other individual awards were presented by the YSU Student Athlete Academic Council. They were made by SAAC President Angela Barwick of the YSU cheerleaders' team.
The awards were the Horizon League Outreach Awards and they went to volleyball standout Melissa Lyczkowski and to football standout P.J. Mays. The Horizon Outreach team award went to women's golf.
YSU President Dr. David Sweet, NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative Kathylynn Feld and YSU athletic director Ron Strollo all gave brief remarks. Dr. Thomas A. Shipka was the master of ceremonies.
mollica@vindy.com