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Arnold, Samsa are YSU’s athletes of year
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YSU Senior Athletes of the year Brad Samsa, football and Olivia Arnold, swimming, with Vindy Sports Editor Rob Todor at 22nd Annual Scholar Athlete Banquet Thursday at Kilcawley Center.
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN — Brad Samsa and Olivia Arnold were named winners of the Youngstown State University Athlete of the Year Awards on Thursday.
The award, sponsored by The Vindicator, was presented to the recipients by Vindicator sports editor Rob Todor at the school’s annual Scholar-Athlete banquet at Kilcawley Hall.
Samsa, a member of the football team, was named All-American by the American Football Coaches Association as a senior. He was a three-time all-conference selection, a three-time academic all-league pick and following his senior year was tabbed an FCS Academic All-Star and a National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society member.
Samsa started the final 38 games of his career on the offensive line, at all positions.
In his final three seasons, Samsa had the highest overall grade on the offensive line.
As a senior, Samsa was named to the AFCA All-America squad. He was a third-team All-America selection by The Associated Press while being tabbed an honorable mention pick by The Sports Network.
He was a first-team Missouri Valley Football Conference pick and earned honorable-mention all-league academic accolades. He was selected as a team captain prior to the season.
As a junior, Samsa started at three different positions earning first-team all-conference honors.
Samsa, a graduate of Howland High School, is the son of Stacy and Greg Samsa. Majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering, he owns a 3.26 grade point average.
Arnold, a member of the women’s swimming team, showed consistent improvement throughout her career.
From her freshman year through her senior campaign, Arnold lowered her best times by more than one minute in the 1,650-yard freestyle, 30 seconds in the 1,000 free and 15 seconds in the 500 free. She leaves YSU as the school record holder in all three events.
During her senior campaign, Arnold placed third in 1,650 and fifth in the 1,000 at the Horizon League Championships. In the 500, she placed seventh. At this year’s meet, she earned 42 points and was part of the 800-yard freestyle relay squad that set another school mark at the league meet.
Arnold won the 1,000 in eight meets and on five occasions lowered her school mark in the event. Three times she broke her own 1,650 mark and during the year broke a nearly 25-year-old record in the 500 free. In the fall semester she kept up the pace out of the pool as well earning a 4.00 grade-point average.
A key member of the program during her career, she served as a team captain and was the squad’s Most Outstanding Swimmer for 2008-09.
She is the first swimmer in school history to earn The Vindicator Female Athlete of the Year Award.
A native of Rutherglen, Australia, she is the daughter of Gary and Anita Arnold. Majoring in political science, she owns a 3.63 grade-point average.
Alfreeda Goff, associate commissioner of the Horizon League, was on hand to present four awards. The swimming and diving team, with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.37, and the men’s golf squad, with a GPA of 3.26, received “Raise Your Sights” team awards for their performance in the classroom.
The women’s basketball program earned the school’s Horizon League Community Outreach Award while YSU associate athletic director Rick Love received the Sportsmanship Award.
The YSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented leadership awards to a top female and male student-athlete. Women’s basketball senior Kelsey Gurganus was the female recipient while football player Mychal Savage was the male recipient.