Ford and Rumsey Honored as Senior Scholar Athletes
Elmira’s
Taryn Rumsey (Mansfield, PA/Mansfield) and Nazareth’s
Brad Ford (Victor, NY/Victor) have been named the 2013-2014 Empire 8 Senior Scholar-Athlete Award winners, based on a vote by the conference faculty athletic representatives (FAR). The award honors one male and one female student-athlete who best exemplify what it means to be a dedicated scholar and athlete over the course of their collegiate careers.
“Taryn and Brad possess all the characteristics of the ideal student-athlete that the NCAA and Empire 8 are proud to be affiliated with,” stated Empire 8 FAR Chair Darwyn Cook. “Their commitment to academic excellence and dedication to compete in their sport at the highest level is commendable.”
Throughout her time at Elmira, Rumsey has excelled on the court and in the classroom, accumulating a 3.93 grade point average as a Speech and Language Disabilities major.
For her academic success she is a seven-time Empire 8 President’s List honoree, a CoSIDA Academic All-District member (2012) and the recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
On the court, Rumsey led the Soaring Eagles to 101 wins during her four-year career, including four trips to the Empire 8 Tournament, two Empire 8 Tournament finals, four ECAC Tournament final appearances, and one ECAC Tournament title. She ranks second in career aces (244), fourth in career kills (1,632), and fifth in career digs (1,332).
Rumsey has certainly excelled on the court, receiving numerous awards throughout her career. She is a four-time E8 All-Conference honoree and was named the 2010 Rookie of the Year. The outside hitter is a two-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, two-time AVCA All-Region player and in 2010 she was selected as the AVCA New York Region Rookie of the Year.
“Exceptional is the word that comes to mind when I think of Taryn as a student-athlete,” said Elmira Head Volleyball Coach Rhonda Faunce. “She is motivated and self-disciplined on and off the court, but it is the things not found on stat sheets and grad reports that make her outstanding.”
Ford earned an array of honors for the Golden Flyers over the past four seasons, including first-team Academic All-America honors in 2014 from the College Sports Information Directors of America. He also was recognized as a first-team Empire 8 Conference all-star and was a first-team all-East Region selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and d3hoops.com.
A 6-foot-4 forward, Ford was a four-year starter for the Golden Flyers who amassed 1,519 points (sixth all-time) and 944 rebounds (second all-time) with 146 three-point baskets. He set a school record for best career rebounding average at 9.3 per game. For the 2013-14 season, Ford was the Golden Flyers' leading scorer (18.8 ppg.) and rebounder (10.2 rpg.). He posted 15 double-doubles (points-rebounds) to elevate his career total to 39. He was twice honored in 2014 as Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week.
In the classroom, Ford carried a grade-point average of 3.84 as a Business Administration major with concentration in Human Resource Management. He officially graduated in December 2013 and is currently taking graduate classes during the spring semester. He was the recipient of Nazareth’s Robert A. Kidera Scholar-Athlete award that recognizes academic and athletic achievement and has been named to the Empire 8 President's List during each semester of eligibility.
“Brad is simply what college athletics should be about,” said Nazareth Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kevin Broderick. “He is a talented, ferocious competitor from start to finish who respects his opponents and his sport.”
Previous E8 Senior Scholar Athlete Recipients