Smart and talented: Rams earn accolades

Thirty-seven percent of Cornell’s students participate in intercollegiate athletics. They’re here for an education, but also a chance to compete in the sport they love at the NCAA Division III level. And they’re so good at both that dozens of them are getting regional and national recognition.

For the athletic season ending in 2018, Cornell athletes earned 113 Midwest Academic All-Conference honors, meaning they earned at least a 3.33 GPA while lettering in their sport. Between 2012-13, when Cornell rejoined the Midwest Conference, through the 16-17 athletic season, 553 Rams were awarded Midwest Academic All-Conference.

In addition, this year Libby Schnoor ’18, Julia Thome ’18, Gabriella Ferro ’18, Husani Newbold ’18, MariKate Murphy ’18, and Jillian Schulte ’19 were elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most respected academic honor society.

Dan Schofer, head coach for men’s and women’s cross country and track & field, has coached six all-American athletes at Cornell, for a total of 20 all-American awards. He notes that none of them arrived on campus at an elite level, and what stands out most to him is the journey they each traveled on their way to the pinnacle of their sport.

“Coaching has allowed me to share in that journey and help guide these individuals up, over, and around challenges to achieve athletic success,” Schofer says. “While we are all competitive people who strive for victory, the journey is equally meaningful in working with student-athletes who never reach the NCAA Championships but who attain their own level of success.”

And there’s no doubt that seeing their teammates on the podium at the national championships inspires other team members to dream big and chase their own goals.

Since 1930, 99 Cornellians have been named all-Americans, particularly in track & field and wrestling. Some qualified in multiple seasons (particularly track), and some earned the honor for multiple years. The first was Lyle Morford ’32, who earned all-American honors in wrestling for three years running in 1930-1932. The latest were wrestlers Ben Hewson ’19, Josh Martin ’18, and Tyler Ortmann ’18; Mason Wicker ’19 in men’s outdoor track & field; and Jillian Schulte ’19 in volleyball.

Earning the all-American title is a feat of hard work and talent on the part of the athlete and skilled advice from the coach.

“Students who are able to achieve all-American honors are in an elite group,” says Head Wrestling Coach Brenton Hamm ’15. “Not only do they put in 20 hours of class a week, they also spend 20-plus hours in the sports center. As coaches, our continued effort to develop good people often correlates with the key qualities that it takes for our athletes to achieve all-American status. My goal as a coach is to make athletes believe something they can’t see and then help them achieve it.”