Sportsmanship of the Year Awards Presented

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Five student-athletes earned 2018-19 OCCAC Sportsmanship of the Year Award accolades, one from each of the conference’s sponsored sports. This represents the third year of the award’s existence.

2018-19 OCCAC SPORTSMANSHIP OF THE YEAR WINNERS
Kylie Fine (Sinclair, softball)
Josie O’Brien (Sinclair, volleyball)
Matthew Stone (Columbus State, men’s basketball)
Anarra Williams (Clark State, women’s basketball)
Mike Zeuli (Lakeland, baseball)

KYLIE FINE
Sinclair Community College | Softball
“Kylie has been a valuable student worker in the Physical Activities Center (PAC) for the last two yeras as well as a member of the OCCAC Championship softball team.

She continued to exhibit great leadership both on and off the field leading the student-athletes through community service projects.  Creating an expectation of classroom first, Kylie made several sacrifices throughout the season as she missed a number of games to attend classes and clinicals that are required for graduation.

During home volleyball and basketball games, Kylie was a member of the set up crew that made sure the facility was ready for competition.  She was always willing to help out as a tutor at study tables and during work-study hours.

For the year, she passed 28 credit hours and has been nominated for NJCAA All-Academic honors.”

JOSIE O’BRIEN
Sinclair Community College | Volleyball
“After completing her freshman year on the volleyball team, Josie was ask to join the women’s basketball program.

The women’s basketball team was in desperate need of additional individuals and Josie volunteered to do what she could.  They only had five players before Josie and another walk-on joined the team, a group of seven that won the OCCAC Conference Championship and advanced to the NJCAA Sweet 16. 

She played in 22 games for the basketball team and scored a total of 21 points, but her contributions were more than stats could measure.  Her willingness to show up every day to practice an unfamiliar sport and give up her free time to travel with the team was selfless.  Even though she knew the only opportunity for her to see the floor would be if something went wrong with the other six players, she gave all of herself for the team.

Not only did she fulfill her obligations to the volleyball team with community service, she also completed her obligations to the women’s basketball team with their community service projects.

She also passed 30 credit hours while jumping in to help her fellow student-athletes when needed without hesitation.”

MATTHEW STONE
Columbus State Community College | Men’s Basketball
“Matthew Stone is a 30-year-old married father of two daughters. A Navy veteran, he came to school to study Sports & Exercise Science. Matt is always in good spirits, never missed anything and was always on time. He was a leader on the bench and always respectful to staff and teammates.”

ANARRA WILLIAMS
Clark State Community College | Women’s Basketball
“Anarra’s dedication of leading by example for all students is an attribute that she displays daily. Anarra is a Student Ambassador and Vice President of Student Senate. She continues to advocate for an enriched student life experience, engagement of all students with campus activities and promotion for diverse events at Clark State.

Anarra is a true student-athlete and one of her guiding principles is to be outstanding inside and outside of the classroom. She is a member of the women’s basketball team, where she shares her bubbly personality and determination to be successful. After her time at Clark State, Anarra plans on continuing her education and basketball career at a four-year institution to pursue a degree in the dental field.”

MIKE ZEULI
Lakeland Community College | Baseball
“In only one season at Lakeland, Mike Zeuli has made an impact on the Laker baseball team and the institution.

On the field, Zeuli was second on the team with 39 hits and tied for third with 17 RBIs. He led the team in stolen bases with eight in his freshman season and finished the 2019 season with a .355 batting average.

Off the field, Zeuli was named to the OCCAC All-Academic Team for Fall 2018 and Spring 2019. He was also nominated as Male Athlete of the Year at Lakeland.

A few paragraphs would be difficult to quantify how much of a pleasure it is to have Mike Zeuli represent Lakeland as a student athlete.”