Eastern Michigan Athletics
Fink and Wagner Presented with MAC Medal of Excellence
6/1/2017 2:14:00 PM | General
The MAC honored 24 student-athletes inside the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University's Willy Fink (Maumee, Ohio - Maumee) and Sierra Wagner (Huntsville, Texas - Huntsville) were presented the Medal of Excellence Award as part of the Mid-American Conference Spring Meetings. In total, 24 MAC student-athletes were honored Wednesday, May 31, during the Honors Dinner Ceremony at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.
The Medal of Excellence 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. 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 (GPA), exhibited athletics excellence, leadership and service. Selection of the recipients was made by each MAC institution.
"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."
Fink had an incredible career for the Green and White as a member of both the cross country and track & field team. This season, the Maumee, Ohio native qualified to the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 7-10, in Eugene, Ore., where he will compete in the 3000m steeplechase as the No. 7 seed. This marks the third time that Fink has qualified to the outdoor national championship, as he also advanced in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, the redshirt senior also earned Second Team All-American honors at the 2016 Indoor NCAA Championships, where he claimed 11th in the 3000m. On the conference level, he was named MAC Championship MVP for both the 2017 indoor and outdoor MAC Championships. In total, he was named MAC MVP five times throughout his career.
The seven-time First Team All-MAC honoree has tallied 14 MAC titles throughout his career, and has his name featured in a number of events in the EMU record book. When it comes to the indoor season, Fink holds the No. 2 spot in the 3000m and the No. 3 spot in the 5000m. The outdoor season has the Maumee, Ohio native featured in three events, as he sits No. 3 in the 5000m, and No. 5 in both the 3000m steeplechase and the 10000m. As a member of the cross country team, Fink earned All-Region honors in 2015, and was also the 2014 MAC Champion. He has been extremely successful in the classroom as well, currently holding a grade point average of 3.82 in chemistry. Fink has been the recipient of multiple academic awards, including Academic All-MAC, MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete, MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week, and Academic All-District honors, among others.
A two-time captain of the Eastern Michigan women's swimming and diving team, Wagner boasted a 3.90 grade point average in exercise science. In her senior season, Wagner totaled 18 top-five finishes, including seven first-place finishes. The senior freestyle specialist was named MAC Co-Swimmer of the Week, Nov. 11, after securing four first-place finishes in EMU's win over Toledo. In addition to being a top sprint and mid-distance swimmer for the Eagles, Wagner was a crucial piece to EMU's relay success. Generally swimming in the anchor slot of Eastern's 200 Medley Relay, Wagner led the Green and White to a second-place finish at the MAC Championships, in addition to swimming the third leg of the Eagles' third-place 800 Freestyle Relay. On the individual side of things, Wagner broke the school record in the 50 Free at the MAC Championships, clocking in with a time of 22.58, to etch her name atop the EMU record books. She went on to add a 10th-place finish in the 200 Free and a 12th-place time in the 100 Free at the conference meet to close out a sensational career. Adding to her school record time in the 50 Free, Wagner also posted the seventh-fastest time in EMU laurels in the 100 Free over the course of the season.
A three-time Academic All-MAC selection, Wagner was recognized for her academic success just weeks after the conclusion of the swimming season. A standout in the classroom, the Huntsville, Texas native was named Eastern Michigan's Exercise Science Student of the Year, adding another award to her resume that also includes MAC Distinguished Scholar honors for the third time in her career.
The Medal of Excellence 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. 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 (GPA), exhibited athletics excellence, leadership and service. Selection of the recipients was made by each MAC institution.
"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."
Fink had an incredible career for the Green and White as a member of both the cross country and track & field team. This season, the Maumee, Ohio native qualified to the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 7-10, in Eugene, Ore., where he will compete in the 3000m steeplechase as the No. 7 seed. This marks the third time that Fink has qualified to the outdoor national championship, as he also advanced in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, the redshirt senior also earned Second Team All-American honors at the 2016 Indoor NCAA Championships, where he claimed 11th in the 3000m. On the conference level, he was named MAC Championship MVP for both the 2017 indoor and outdoor MAC Championships. In total, he was named MAC MVP five times throughout his career.
The seven-time First Team All-MAC honoree has tallied 14 MAC titles throughout his career, and has his name featured in a number of events in the EMU record book. When it comes to the indoor season, Fink holds the No. 2 spot in the 3000m and the No. 3 spot in the 5000m. The outdoor season has the Maumee, Ohio native featured in three events, as he sits No. 3 in the 5000m, and No. 5 in both the 3000m steeplechase and the 10000m. As a member of the cross country team, Fink earned All-Region honors in 2015, and was also the 2014 MAC Champion. He has been extremely successful in the classroom as well, currently holding a grade point average of 3.82 in chemistry. Fink has been the recipient of multiple academic awards, including Academic All-MAC, MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete, MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week, and Academic All-District honors, among others.
A two-time captain of the Eastern Michigan women's swimming and diving team, Wagner boasted a 3.90 grade point average in exercise science. In her senior season, Wagner totaled 18 top-five finishes, including seven first-place finishes. The senior freestyle specialist was named MAC Co-Swimmer of the Week, Nov. 11, after securing four first-place finishes in EMU's win over Toledo. In addition to being a top sprint and mid-distance swimmer for the Eagles, Wagner was a crucial piece to EMU's relay success. Generally swimming in the anchor slot of Eastern's 200 Medley Relay, Wagner led the Green and White to a second-place finish at the MAC Championships, in addition to swimming the third leg of the Eagles' third-place 800 Freestyle Relay. On the individual side of things, Wagner broke the school record in the 50 Free at the MAC Championships, clocking in with a time of 22.58, to etch her name atop the EMU record books. She went on to add a 10th-place finish in the 200 Free and a 12th-place time in the 100 Free at the conference meet to close out a sensational career. Adding to her school record time in the 50 Free, Wagner also posted the seventh-fastest time in EMU laurels in the 100 Free over the course of the season.
A three-time Academic All-MAC selection, Wagner was recognized for her academic success just weeks after the conclusion of the swimming season. A standout in the classroom, the Huntsville, Texas native was named Eastern Michigan's Exercise Science Student of the Year, adding another award to her resume that also includes MAC Distinguished Scholar honors for the third time in her career.
2017 Medal of Excellence Award Winners
Akron: Bradley Ruhaak (men's soccer); Hannah Plybon (women's basketball)
Ball State: Lucas Andersen (men's tennis); Leah Mattingly (women's soccer)
Bowling Green: Joe Sullivan (men's soccer); Madeline Garda (volleyball)
Buffalo: Garrett Clarke (men's swimming); Corinne Birchard (women's cross country/track & field)
Central Michigan: Dylan Banagis (men's cross country/track & field); Christen Chiesa (women's soccer)
Eastern Michigan: William Fink (men's track & field); Sierra Wagner (women's swimming)
Kent State: Lukas Burch (baseball); Larissa Lurken (women's basketball)
Miami: Adam Yacek (baseball); Kelsi White (women's field hockey)
Northern Illinois: Carlos Manzanas (men's tennis); Mary Grace Kelly (volleyball)
Ohio: Peyton White (men's golf); Madison Claytor (softball)
Toledo: Joshua Cales (baseball); Sophie Reecher (women's basketball)
Western Michigan: Matt Hamilton (men's tennis); Tracy Kuhle (women's tennis)
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