Four Women's Basketball Falcons Named Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

A total of four Bowling Green State University women's basketball student-athletes have been named Mid-American Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athletes. Seniors Miriam Justinger and Lauren Tibbs, junior Abby Siefker and sophomore Rachel Myers all were named to the list, which was announced Friday morning (April 15) by the conference office.

BGSU's four selections were the most of any MAC institution -- only one other school had as many as three players selected. Two weeks ago, the Falcons had a league-high eight players earn Academic All-MAC honors.

Justinger, who hails from Sylvania, Ohio, started all 28 games, finishing third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding. She averaged 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She led the Brown and Orange in assists (2.4 per game), and finished 13th in the MAC in free-throw percentage (77.0%), and 10th in the conference in three-point field-goal accuracy (35.9%). Justinger scored in double figures 12 times, including in seven of the last 11 games of the season. She has a cumulative GPA of 3.537 as an exercise science/pre-occupational therapy major at BGSU.

Myers, from Findlay, Ohio, started all 28 games and finished fourth on the team in scoring, with 7.6 points per game. She was second on the Falcons with 51 three-point field goals made, and shot 36.4% from long distance. Myers was ninth in the MAC in three-point FG pct., and finished 13th in the league in three-pointers made per game. In MAC games only, she finished sixth in the league in three-point accuracy (37.9%). Myers scored in double digits nine times on the season, including a career-high 24 points at Central Michigan. In that game, she made seven three-pointers, falling just one shy of the school record. Myers was inducted into both Chi Alpha Sigma and the Mortar Board Honor Society. She has a perfect 4.000 cumulative GPA in dietetics

Siefker, a native of Ottoville, Ohio, played in all 28 games off the bench in 2015-16, averaging 13.8 minutes, 1.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She finished fourth on the Falcons in rebounding and second in blocked shots (0.4 per game). Siefker had seven points and six rebounds in a road win over Northern Illinois. She was inducted into the Mortar Board Honor Society. Siefker has a perfect 4.000 cumulative GPA as a biology pre-dentistry major at BGSU, with minors in chemistry, general sciences and entrepreneurship.

Tibbs, from Taylor Mill, Ky., was named to the All-MAC Third Team in her lone playing season with the Falcons. She started all 28 games and led the team in scoring and rebounding, with 12.5 points and 7.0 boards per game. Tibbs also paced BGSU in field-goal percentage (55.4%, ranking her third in the entire league) and blocked shots. The center shot over 40% from three-point range, making 17-of-42 long-range shots (40.5%). She finished 18th in the MAC in scoring and 10th in the league in rebounding, and was eighth among MAC players in blocks per game. Tibbs was named MAC Player of the Week on Feb. 22, after averaging 23.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks and shooting 66.7% (20-for-30) from the field and a perfect 100% (5-for-5) from three-point range the previous week. She scored in double digits a team-leading 20 times on the season, including back-to-back games of 20 points or more. Tibbs, who earned her undergraduate degree at Marquette University, is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in media & communication at BGSU, and currently has a 3.600 GPA.

The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award is a second-year award given to students who have excelled in athletics and academics. Following each season from the winter sports schedule, any student with a 3.20 GPA, sophomore standing or higher and participation in at least 50 percent of the contests was automatically named to the previously announced Academic All-MAC Team from each sport.

From the Academic All-MAC Teams, the faculty athletic representatives selected the 'best of the best' to be honored with the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2015-16 season. The number of Distinguished Scholar Athletes from each sport were equivalent to the number of first-team selections or 33% of nominees, whichever was greater.

Bowling Green, as mentioned, had four women's basketball student-athletes named Distinguished Scholar Athletes, the highest total of any conference institution. Toledo had three student-athletes earn the honor, while Buffalo, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan had two apiece and Akron, Ball State and Miami one each.

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