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HomeSportsAustin Peay State University standout Breigh Jones earns prestigious OVC Scholar-Athlete Award

Austin Peay State University standout Breigh Jones earns prestigious OVC Scholar-Athlete Award

APSU Sports Information

Austin Peay State University Lady Govs - APSUBrentwood, TN – Austin Peay State University senior sprinter Breigh Jones has received one of six Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2015-16 academic year, the conference office announced Friday.

The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes, and is given annually to three men and three women student-athletes for their accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and because of their leadership qualities.

Austin Peay's Breigh Jones. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay’s Breigh Jones. (APSU Sports Information)

The six winners were selected from a group of 20 finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives.

Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.25 grade point average and conducted themselves in a manner which has brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution, intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the 2014-15 school year.

“What an exciting and well deserved honor for Breigh,” said Austin Peay Athletics Director Ryan Ivey. “This award only solidifies what we already knew about her and the student-athletes at Austin Peay; that academics plays a major role in what we do on a daily basis. This is a great honor for Breigh and for all of us at Austin Peay.”

Jones has become one of the most decorated sprinters in Austin Peay history, reaching at least the preliminary stage of the NCAA Championships in each of her first three seasons, including a 20th-place national finish in the 400m dash in 2014.

Last season, she was named the OVC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, earning gold medals in the 400m and 4x100m relay, as well as silver in the 200m. She also earned the 2015 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honor, earning gold in the 400m and silver in the 200m and 4x400m relay. As a freshman, her NCAA Preliminary appearance also earned her a spot on the US National Team that competed at the Junior Pan American Games in Bogota, Colombia.

Holder of seven Austin Peay records, Jones has been part of a culture shift in the Austin Peay track program, which finished third in the 2014 Indoor Championships, second in the 2014 Outdoor Championships and third in the 2015 Outdoor Championships—the only top-three team finishes Austin Peay has posted at the Track and Field Championships in the last decade.

Off the track, Jones has maintained a 3.866 grade-point average, majoring in psychology with a minor in journalism and coaching. A multi-time honoree on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, APSU President’s List, Dean’s List and Athletics Director’s Honor Roll, Jones was named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team for 2014-15, earning her second Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar honor in the process.

“Any time you can have an individual on your team honored in this way, it shows that your program is going in the right direction and that you’re surrounding it with good people,” said Austin Peay head track and field coach Doug Molnar. “That’s what we’re trying to do here and Breigh is a remarkable young lady who represents that very well.”

The Memphis native also serves as the public relations coordinator for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and as a Student Transitions Peer Mentor. This award gives Austin Peay a Scholar-Athlete Award winner in back-to-back years (Aleksas Tverijonas won for the 2014-15 year) and is the first for an Austin Peay female student-athlete since Carrie Burggraf in 2008-09.

Joining Jones as an OVC Scholar-Athlete Award winner this year are Logan Hogge (Morehead State), Ben Reeves (UT Martin), Katie Schubert (UT Martin), Dalton Screws (Jacksonville State) and Hannah Whittman (Belmont).

Other nominees for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Craig Bradshaw of Belmont (basketball), Kelsey Bright of Jacksonville State (soccer), Stephen Bush of Tennessee Tech (football), Kevin Farley of Southeast Missouri (track and field), Preston French of Murray State (golf), Christian Ilunga-Matthiesen of Eastern Illinois (track and field), Brianna Lawrence of Tennessee State (basketball), Adam Noble of Austin Peay (football), Erin Patton of Murray State (tennis), Abigail Saalfrank of Eastern Illinois (volleyball), Hannah Sigala of Morehead State (volleyball), Aaron Woods of Tennessee State (football), Rachel Welker of Eastern Kentucky (golf), Megan Williamson of Tennessee Tech (golf).

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