Hoekstra, Piazza Earn MAC Medal of Excellence

Bowling Green State University standouts Deborah Hoekstra (women's basketball) and Christian Piazza (football) added to their long lists of awards on Wednesday evening (May 27). Hoekstra and Piazza each earned the Mid-American Conference Medal of Excellence from the conference office.

The Medal of Excellence, in its second year of existence, is an award presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 12 conference member institutions.

"The Medal of Excellence Award is a reinforcement of the core values that we as a conference and each of our member institutions all possess with excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and service," said MAC Commissioner Jon A. Steinbrecher. "We congratulate all of our Medal of Excellence Award winners."

Hoekstra, a native of East Lansing, Mich. (East Lansing H.S.), was named BGSU's Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year at The Ziggys, BGSU's student-athlete awards banquet, in April. She played in all 30 games for the Falcons in 2014-15, starting the last 24. An honorable-mention selection to the All-MAC Team, she led the Falcons in both scoring and rebounding, with 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

Hoekstra made a team-high 51 three-point field goals in her senior year, and she led the MAC and ranked ninth in the entire nation in free-throw percentage, shooting 90.1 percent from the stripe. Hoekstra averaged 12.2 ppg and 8.8 rpg in MAC games only, tying for 12th in the league in scoring and fourth in rebounding. She was named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team, BGSU's first such honoree in four years. Hoekstra made a total of 105 three-point field goals in her career, including 92 over her final two seasons. She scored 589 points in those two years, en route to 672 total points as a Falcon.

Hoekstra was a recipient of the women's basketball team's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in each of her last three seasons. She graduated with a perfect 4.000 cumulative grade-point average as an applied health science major with a minor in business, and is currently enrolled in graduate school at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.

Piazza, a native of Ann Arbor, Mich. (Huron H.S.), graduated earlier this month and has begun work towards a Masters in Business Administration at BGSU. He played in 11 games on the offensive line in 2014, helping the football Falcons to eight wins and a Camillia Bowl title. Piazza was a key component of an offensive unit which averaged more than 430 yards and 30 points per game.

In all, the Falcon offense gained over 6,000 yards on the season, and made a second-straight appearance in the MAC Championship Game. Piazza was named to the Academic All-MAC Team in 2014, and has one season of eligibility remaining.

The MAC's Medal of Excellence Award winners were recognized during Wednesday evening's Honors Dinner Ceremony at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel as part of the MAC Spring Meetings.

To be honored with the Medal of Excellence Award, student-athletes had to participate on the varsity level in a conference sponsored sport and shown evidence of academic success with a minimum 3.50 accumulative grade-point average, exhibited athletics excellence, leadership and service. Selection of the recipients was made by each MAC institution.

2015 MAC Medal of Excellence Award Winners
Akron: Kyle Cochrun (men's cross country/track & field); Kelsey Ferrante (women's swimming & diving)
Ball State: Jacob Richard (football); Jenna Hague (women's golf)
Bowling Green: Christian Piazza (football); Deborah Hoekstra (women's basketball)
Buffalo: Waleed Cassis (men's soccer); Courtney Mann (women's soccer)
Central Michigan: Ethan Lievense (men's cross country/track & field); Abbey Kelto (women's cross country/track & field)
Eastern Michigan: John Rubino (baseball); Victoria Voronko (women's cross country/track & field)
Kent State: Miles Dunlap (men's track & field); Stephanie Haugh (women's soccer)
Miami: Jessica Hoover (women's cross country/track & field)
Northern Illinois: Robert Sterling (football); Makenzie Roddy (volleyball)
Ohio: Andrew Mlynarski (men's golf); Julie Lechner (women's golf)
Toledo: Greg Mancz (football); Mackenzie Chojnacky (women's cross country/track & field)
Western Michigan: Austin Richie (men's basketball); Rachel Chaney (women's soccer)

BGSU's MAC Medal of Excellence Award Winners
2014: Cody Apthorpe (baseball); Nicole Chiricosta (tennis)
2015: Christian Piazza (football); Deborah Hoekstra (women's basketball)

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