The Big Sky Conference has announced their 2019-20 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which were awarded to former Thunderbirds Zach Larsen and MaKenzie Lawrence.
To be eligible for this award, the student-athlete must have exhausted his or her intercollegiate athletic eligibility and/or be a member of the graduating class, earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0) scale, been a participant in a Big Sky-sponsored sport, completed at least two (2) years of intercollegiate competition at the institution and have been a letter winner.
The Big Sky’s scholar-athletes earned a total of six CoSIDA Academic All-America and nine CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. Eleven of the scholar-athletes earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.9 or higher while four earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Larsen was a four-year starter on the offensive line for Southern Utah University and racked up a myriad of All-American honors during his tenure in Cedar City. His career culminated this season with being awarded the 2019 FCS Rimington Award, which is given to the top center at the FCS level. He was also a member of the Big Sky All-Conference First Team on three separate occasions.
With Larsen on the o-line for SUU, the T-Birds moved the ball 11,547 yards through the air and 8,715 yards on the ground, for a grand total of 20,262 yards. He was a staple for the Thunderbirds during their charge to a Big Sky Conference Championship in 2017, and was a major reason the T-Birds received a BYE to the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs.
Lawrence joined the Thunderbird soccer team ahead of the 2015 season, and over time became a major offensive threat for SUU. Last season, she was awarded with the Big Sky’s Golden Boot Award for earning the most points during Big Sky Conference play. She was also named to the All-Big Sky First Team.
With four goals and three assists during conference play, Lawrence racked up 11 points total, three more than anyone else in the Big Sky. The Kaysville native was responsible for or assisted on seven of Southern Utah’s eight goals during that time. She also led the conference in points per game (1.22), goals (4), and goals per game (.44).
To read the original article published on June 30, click here.
Story by: Bryson Lester:
Photos courtesy of: suutbirds.com
