BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Prior to the postponement of the conference semifinals on Friday, IUP junior Sophie Butland (Taunton, Somerset U.K./Bishop Fox's Community School) was named the 2016 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women's Tennis Champion Scholar Athlete.
 
Butland becomes the fourth player in program history to earn the award. An exercise science major, she boasts a 3.96 cumulative grade point average with 91 earned credits.
 
The Champion Scholar Awards began during the 2011-12 academic year and are molded after the NCAA's Elite 90 awards which honor the student-athlete with the top grade point average who is competing at the site of each of the PSAC's 23 team championship finals.

The selection criteria for the Champion Scholar Awards 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 NCAA championships across all three divisions.

This is IUP's 17th Champion Scholar award since its inception in 2011, including three this academic year. The 17 is the most in the PSAC.
 
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