California University of Pennsylvania junior Ryan Smith was named the recipient of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Champion Scholar Award at the league golf championships.
Smith currently boasts a 3.68 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) while majoring in sport
management with a concentration in professional golf management and a minor in business.
He appeared in all five events during the fall season while primarily playing at the
first position in the lineup. Smith closed the fall with a scoring average of 77.2
strokes and recorded three top-20 finishes.
Smith became the first men's golfer in school history to earn the award since its
inception in 2011-12. The Vulcans have received the honor 18 times since the award
was initiated, including four student-athletes that received the accolade multiple
times.
The PSAC Champion Scholar Award is modeled after the NCAA's Elite 90 Award and honors
the student-athlete with the top GPA that is competing at the site of each of the
PSAC's 23 team championship finals. The selection criteria for the Champion Scholar
is identical to that of the NCAA Elite 90 awards, which honor the student-athlete
with the top GPA at each of the championship final sites of the 90 championships across
all three divisions – I, II and III.