General | 3/19/2026 2:30:00 PM

TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) has announced that Washington & Jefferson College junior men's basketball student-athlete Nathan Plotner and Westminster College junior women's swimming & diving standout Maddy McClain have been selected as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar Athletes for the Month of February.  

The SAAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month award recognizes two upperclass athletes who have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, compete in a varsity sport, and participate in extracurricular activities on their campuses. This month, Plotner and McClain exemplify the elite standard of their schools, the PAC, and the SAAC. 

From Parkersburg, West Virginia, Plotner holds a 3.73 cumulative GPA as an Accounting major and Communication Arts minor. He has earned recognition on the PAC Spring Academic Honor Roll in both 2024 and 2025 while being named to the Dean's List five times.

Additionally, Plotner is the 2025-26 recipient of W&J's prestigious Reardon Award. First presented in 1987, the Reardon Award is presented annually to one male and one female junior student-athlete who exemplify excellence in both academics and athletics. Nominees must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20, serve as a significant contributor to their team, and demonstrate leadership and community engagement on campus. He will be formally honored in April during the annual Honors Convocation at Washington & Jefferson.

The junior has been on the PAC radar since his first season in 2023-24, when he earned PAC Newcomer of the Week. In the 2024-25 season, he was the PAC Defensive Player of the Year, All-PAC Second Team, PAC All-Tournament Team.

This season, he further established himself as one of the top two-way players in the PAC. By averaging 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and converting 74.1 percent of his field goal attempts this season, Plotner was recognized as the PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, being placed on the PAC All-Tournament Team, and being among the five in the nation on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week roster for the second week of December (Dec. 15, 2025-Jan. 4, 2026).

Over his career he has accumulated a total of 961 points, 568 rebounds, 169 blocks, 130 steals and 110 assists in 81 games (55 starts). Throughout February, Plotner was able to lead the Presidents through conference play and to the 2026 PAC Tournament Championship game. In the semifinal game against Franciscan, he recorded 22 points with three blocks and three steals. In the title game against Westminster, he tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, helping secure his team a win, and spot in the NCAA tournament. 

Off the court, the basketball standout is a member of the W&J Accounting Society. He has gained professional experience as a tax and audit intern with Suttle & Stalnaker, PLLC in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where he prepared property tax returns, researching tax credits and participating in audit work for clients. In addition, he also serves his community as a camp counselor at Camp Crawdad in Washington, West Virginia, supervising and organizing activities for children ages 5-12.

Male February honorable mention nominees included: Bethany's Caliyph McClinton (track & field); Geneva's Trey Barker (basketball); Westminster's Jack Crider (track & field).

McClain, a native of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania is the second February SAAC Scholar-Athlete of the month, representing Westminster College.

The Biology major with a Spanish minor owns a 3.74 cumulative GPA and has been named to the Dean's List four times while earning PAC Academic Honor Roll recognition in both 2024 and 2025.

The junior Titan is a member of the Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) national biology honor society, Lambda Sigma national honor society, where she served as president in 2024-25 and now serves as an advisor, and Sigma Delta Pi, the national honor society for Spanish language and literature, where she currently holds the role of vice president.

McClain has developed into one of the top distance swimmers in the PAC. This year's championship performance marked McClain's third career All-PAC honor after First Team recognition in 2023-24 and Second Team accolades in 2024-25.

At the 2026 PAC Swimming & Diving Championships February 18th-21st, McClain secured First Team All-PAC honors after capturing the conference title in the 1,650 freestyle with a winning time of 17:59.23, nearly 14 seconds ahead of the runner-up. She entered the event as the No. 2 seed and became Westminster's first champion in the event since 2017.

McClain also recorded a third-place finish in both the 500 freestyle (5:17.48) and 400 individual medley (4:43.53). She contributed across multiple relay events, anchoring Westminster's second-place 800 freestyle relay and third-place 400 freestyle relay while also swimming legs on the 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. 

Out of the pool, McClain serves as president of Westminster's Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) chapter and works as a worship leader through the college's Office of Faith & Spirituality and Campus Ministry program. She aids in planning and performing weekly worship services and special campus events. Additionally, she served as an interpreter on Westminster's Dominican Republic Medical Mission Trip, assisting medical professionals and students working in clinics during the week-long service experience.

Female February honorable mention nominees included: Bethany's Kate Botti (basketball); Geneva's Hailey Carroll (track & field); W&J's Katie Kovalchick (basketball); Waynesburg's Kalista Friday (basketball).