08/15/2024
Chi Alpha Sigma announces 2023-24 Scholar Athletes of the Year
RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- The National College Athlete Honor Society is proud to announce that Will Kelly of St. Olaf College and Malak Mowafi of Penn State Schuylkill have been selected as Chi Alpha Sigma’s 2023-24 Scholar Athletes of the Year.
“We are very pleased to recognize Will and Malak with this honor,” Kellen Wells-Mangold, executive director of the National College Athlete Honor Society, said. “Of the many deserving student-athletes nationwide who were nominated, Will and Malak stood out as leaders in competition, the classroom, and their communities. Chi Alpha Sigma is proud to celebrate their achievements!”
The National Scholar Athlete of the Year award recognizes student-athletes from one men’s sport and one women’s sport who have each demonstrated academic and athletic achievement, as well as service and leadership both on-campus and in the community. Nominees must be junior or senior Chi Alpha Sigma inductees who have maintained a
minimum of a 3.40 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) throughout their collegiate careers and demonstrated how their experiences as scholar-athletes have influenced and empowered them to be successful after graduation.
Kelly (Golf, Ill. | Glenbrook South) graduated from St. Olaf in May with a 3.56 GPA as a chemistry major and is headed to Montana State University in the fall to pursue a PhD in biochemistry. Over the course of his career on the Hill, Kelly was a four-time All-American in cross country and track & field. He also picked up four individual Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles - including back-to-back steeplechase championships - and was the individual men’s cross country runner-up twice. Kelly collected 10 All-MIAC accolades and seven U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors over the course of his career, while also posting a 10th-place national finish in the steeplechase in 2023. In the classroom, Kelly was Academic All-MIAC in both cross country and track & field and racked up five USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during his career. He added Academic All-America honors this past spring, becoming the 19th Ole in history to receive the award from College Sports Communicators. He also spent time at the Mayo Clinic, researching carpal tunnel syndrome and presenting his work at the Orthopedic Research Society.
Mowafi (Iselin, N.J. | John F. Kennedy) is the first three-sport student-athlete to receive Chi Alpha Sigma Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. Mowafi racked up accolades as a competitor in women’s cross country, basketball, and track & field at Penn State Schuylkill, earning a pair of United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) silver medals in the steeplechase, a First Team All-Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) selection in cross country, and the John Fritz Sportsmanship Award in both basketball and cross country. Academically, Mowafi maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while double-majoring in cybersecurity analytics and operations as well as criminal justice. A nine-time All-Academic honoree between the USCAA and PSUAC, Mowafi has also been celebrated on the Dean’s List every semester since the fall of 2021. In addition to being heavily involved with on-campus activities through membership in the National Cybersecurity Association, Criminal Justice Club, and Students in Technology Club, Mowafi has also traveled internationally to London, Spain, and Portugal through collegiate programming to provide a global context to her education and network.
Kelly and Mowafi now become the 11th and 12th recipients of the Chi Alpha Sigma Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Nominations for the 2024-25 honor will become available to active Chi Alpha Sigma chapter advisors in May 2025.
All-Time National College Athlete Honor Society Scholar Athletes of the Year
Year Student-Athlete Institution Sport(s)
2018-19 Aliyah Gustafson Bowling Green State University Women’s Track & Field
2018-19 Cole Rosenberger Johns Hopkins University Men’s Soccer
2019-20 Audrey Miller Loras College Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
2019-20 Andreas Vazaios North Carolina State University Men’s Swimming & Diving
2020-21 Kieran Mullins Rutgers University Men's Lacrosse
2020-21 Emma Schulz SUNY Cortland Women's Gymnastics
2021-22 Eric Knowles North Carolina State University Men’s Swimming & Diving
2021-22 Zaresha Neal Bowling Green State University Women’s Track & Field
2022-23 Trent Hidlay North Carolina State University Men’s Wrestling
2022-23 Fiona Smith College of Saint Benedict Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
2023-24 Will Kelly St. Olaf College Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
2023-24 Malak Mowafi Penn State Schuylkill Women’s Cross Country, Basketball, Track & Field
The National College Athlete Honor Society, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in 1996. Theta Chi Alpha and Chi Alpha Sigma work with state chapters of two- and four-year institutions to recognize college student-athletes who excel in their sport, the classroom, and the community. The National College Athlete Honor Society is part of an athletics community made of diverse groups and supports all efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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