PAC SAAC Scholar-Athletes of the Month (December 2014)

Each month the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) at each Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) member institution are asked to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for PAC SAAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month consideration based on academic and athletic accomplishments. Honorees must be a varsity member in their respective sport(s) and in their junior or senior year. Scholar-Athlete of the Month nominees must also have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher and be actively involved within his or her campus community.

December 2014
PAC SAAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Month
Sydni Wainscott
Senior
Thomas More College
Basketball
Erlanger, Ky.
Simon Kenton

Wainscott, an All-PAC Honorable Mention selection a year ago, has started all 13 games this season for the second-ranked Saints. Thomas More currently owns a 13-0 overall record and a 6-0 mark in the PAC. She is currently averaging 7.5 points, 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.

On campus Wainscott serves as a resident assistant, is a member of the College’s Student Council and is the women’s basketball SAAC representative. She is also active in her community, volunteering with the Special Olympics, working with its bowling, basketball and flag football programs, and Catholic Charities – Diocese of Covington as a volunteer at their annual Christmas party. She has assisted Thomas More’s SAAC with its annual canned food and clothing drives, which benefit the Brighton Center in Newport, Ky. She has also participated in a mission trip to New Orleans with her church, Sherman Church of Christ (Dry Ridge, Ky).

Wainscott has completed an internship with the St. Elizabeth Medical Center (Edgewood, Ky.) in its inpatient/outpatient unit, working with adult and adolescent behavioral patients, and participated in a job shadowing project in the emergency room of The Christ Hospital (Cincinnati, Ohio).

A psychology/pre-law major, Wainscott carries a 3.565 grade-point average.

December 2014 Honorable Mention nominations: Bethany College junior Samantha Schott (basketball), Chatham University junior Alexis Rectenwald (swimming and diving), Grove City College junior Kathryn Erbelding (basketball) and Thiel College junior Kayla Welty (basketball).

December 2014
PAC SAAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Month
Sean Byham
Senior
Thiel College
Wrestling
Saegertown, Pa.
Saegertown


Byham wrestled to a fourth-place finish in the 157-pound weight class at the Rochester Institute of Technology Invitational on December 6. He advanced to the semifinals before suffering a 4-3 loss to John Carroll's Tom McNulty, the event’s runner-up. He went on to split his consolation matches. He is currently 13-5 this season.

On campus Byham serves as a resident assistant and is the president of Thiel Christian Fellowship, the treasurer of Thiel's Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is his senior class treasurer. A seven-semester Dean's List student, he is a member of Beta Beta Beta, Chi Alpha Sigma and Les Lauriers. Byham also teaches bible studies on campus and has volunteered at Greenville's First Baptist Church and Crossroads Christian Fellowship. He was named a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American after the 2012 and 2014 seasons and is a three-time PAC Academic Honor Roll honoree.

A conservation biology major, Byham maintains a 3.75 grade-point average.

December 2014 Honorable Mention nominations: Grove City College junior Nicholas Wargo (swimming and diving) and Thomas More College senior Drew Mumford (basketball).

2014-15 PAC SAAC Scholar-Athletes of the Month
Female Male
Dec 2014 Thomas More College senior basketball player Sydni Wainscott Thiel College senior wrestler Sean Byham
Nov 2014 Grove City College junior soccer player Abby Mathes Waynesburg University senior football player John Sikora
Oct 2014 Westminster College senior cross country runner Jenny Jones Thiel College senior cross country runner Steve Morgan
Sep 2014 Bethany College senior volleyball player Lynsie Mandt Thomas More College soccer player Jake Plummer