OU senior Jessica Pike named scholar-athlete of the year

Oakland University women’s basketball senior Jessica Pike has added to her laundry list of athletic and academic honors, being named the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The award came in conjunction with Pike’s being named to the DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team for the second consecutive year.

“It’s an honor for the Division I-AAA ADA to annually award these academic all-star teams,” said Jean Lenti Ponsetto, chair of the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team Selection Committee and athletics director at DePaul University. “These student-athletes personify the definition of student-athlete, both on and off the court. Our Association is proud to be represented by such a strong group of student-athletes.”

Pike, a native of Clawson, Mich., has a 3.93 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in Wellness, Health Promotion, and Injury Prevention. The senior has earned an extensive list of academic and athletic honors, including being named to the All-Summit League first team three times, and being a three-time selection to the Academic All-Summit League team. In advance of the 2008-09 season, Pike was tabbed The Summit League Preseason Player of the Year. She recently became just the third player in Oakland University history to be named an Academic All-American.

Pike has also been extensively involved in community service and academic projects, including spending a month during the summer of 2008 in Africa for her senior project on HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs; and riding in the Tri-State Trek this past summer, biking 270 miles from Boston to New York to raise money for the ALS Therapy Development Institute.

On the court this season, Pike has lived up to the lofty expectations, averaging 15.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. The senior ranked second on the OU squad with 45 steals and also averaged 2.5 assists per contest. Pike ended her career as the 8th-leading scorer in Oakland University history with 1,485 career points. This past season she helped the Golden Grizzlies to their fourth postseason appearance, and a Division I record 26 wins.

Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. He/she must have reached junior athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution (true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible) and have completed at least three academic semesters/five quarters at the nominated institution. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games listed on the nomination form.

Additionally, from the Scholar-Athlete teams, one male and female student-athlete was selected as the Division I-AAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year. In addition to Pike receiving the women’s award, the men’s award went to Jason Holsinger, an economics major from Evansville, with a 3.89 GPA.

A special Review Committee of Division I-AAA athletics directors were responsible for selecting the winners. Completing this task were Committee Chair Jean Lenti Ponsetto, DePaul; Pete Carlon, Texas Arlington; Don DiJulia, St. Joseph’s; Gene Doris, Fairfield; Bill Husak, Loyola Marymount; Kelly Mehrtens, North Carolina Wilmington; John Planek, Loyola (Ill.); and Scott Street, Texas A&M Corpus Christi.