Regan and Toth Honored as Senior Scholar Athletes
Houghton College’s Jesse Toth and Stevens Institute of Technology’s Amy Regan have been named the 2016-17 Empire 8 Senior Scholar-Athlete Award winners, based on a vote by the conference faculty athletic representatives (FARs). 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.
Toth is the first recipient from Houghton to earn this distinction since the Highlanders joined the conference in 2012-13, while Regan is the fourth Stevens female honoree.
“Jesse and Amy not only excel in their respective sports an outstanding athletes, but are also exceptional students,” stated Empire 8 FAR Chair and Alfred University FAR Darwyn Cook. “They, along with the other nominated candidates, embody all that is great about Empire 8 and NCAA Division III athletics.”
Toth has shined as a defender on the soccer field and in the classroom, accumulating a 3.877 grade point average as a Business Administration major. He is a six-time Empire 8 President’s List honoree, a two-time National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) All-America Scholar-Athlete and has numerous distinctions on the Houghton’s President List, Dean’s Honor List and Dean’s List.
Houghton Associate Professor of Business said, “Jesse is extremely well disciplined; he is always sensitive to managing his time properly; and is flexible and able to adapt to unexpected events and changing circumstances.”
On the soccer field, Toth suited up in 70 games and helped his team to 31 shutouts, while contributing seven career goals and five assists, for a Houghton team posted a 43-26-9 record in four years. The Highlanders qualified for the E8 Tournament the last two seasons and advanced to the Championship game in 2016.
Toth is a four-time Empire 8 All-Conference First Team selection and has garnered four-straight NCCAA First Team All-Region honors. He was also an NCCAA Second Team All-American and NSCAA-NCAA DIII Third-Team All-East Region as a junior, both of those honors coming despite his missing seven games due to a season-ending knee injury. As a sophomore, he also earned NCCAA Second Team All-American honors.
The two-year team captain capped off his career by being named an NCAA DIII Third-Team All-American and being the recipient of the NCCAA Kyle Rote Award which recognizes academic and athletic achievement, Christian service and conduct.
“Jesse has been one of the few leaders that I consider to be strong role model academically, socially, and spiritually,” said Houghton Head Men’s Soccer Coach Matthew Webb. “He has done extremely well in the classroom, has had a positive impact on our campus, and is firmly founded in his Christian character and beliefs.”
Regan has won six national titles, qualified for eleven NCAA championships, earned eleven NCAA All-American honors, led Stevens women’s cross country to their first NCAA bid in program history and helped the track and field team finish in the top ten at four NCAA Championships.
She won the National Cross Country Championship in 2014 and 2016, was the 2016 National Champion in the Indoor 3000 and 5000 meter and the 2016 Outdoor National Champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
In recognition of her national accomplishments Regan was named the DIII Honda Athlete of the Year in Cross Country twice (2014 and 2016) and a four-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Athlete of the Year.
The three-time Irvin Buzz Seymour Stevens Athlete of the Year is a 13-time individual Empire 8 champion, four-time E8 Cross Country Athlete of the year, three-time Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and the 2016 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
“Amy’s success has been due to her unparalleled work ethic,” said Head Men’s and Women’s Cross and Track and Field Coach Justin Wood. “ She is the definition of a well-rounded high achieving scholar-athlete that makes others around her better.”
In the classroom, Regan has taken both undergraduate and graduate courses simultaneously in the Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering from School of Systems and Enterprises. She carries a 3.83 grade-point average in Engineering Management (undergrad) and a 3.75 gpa in Systems Analytics (master).
Regan has been named to the Empire 8 President’s List four times, has multiple Stevens President’s and Dean’s List honors, is a two-time CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-American and two-time Scholar Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA.
“Amy is an excellent student who approaches her studies with a serious attitude, and a willingness to work hard – a reflection of her commitment to her athletic training and goals,” stated Dr. Teresa Zigh, Associate Industry Professor of Systems and Enterprises at Stevens. “She is an outstanding scholar-athlete, and will go on to great success in the future.”
Male Nominees
Richard Lander, Alfred University
Zachory Park, Elmira College
Jesse Toth, Houghton College
Sean Phillips, Ithaca College
Ryan Keegan, St. John Fisher College
Connor Towne, Stevens
Female Nominees
Amanda Off, Alfred University
Lindsay Wagner, Elmira College
Jennifer Zacchigna, Houghton College
Brandy Smith, Ithaca College
Amy Regan, Stevens