Kelby Jenkins and Quinn Vilneff were recognized for their efforts in their respective sports as well as in school and the community. Jenkins earned the Lois Patton Award while Vilneff was the recipient of the Ralph H. Coleman Award. They are presented annually to the top senior female and male scholar-athletes at the University of Evansville.
Cross country runner Kelby Jenkins received the Patton Award following a record-setting career with the Aces. As a senior, Jenkins won four championships while finishing second on two occasions. In her final 5K race, Jenkins set the program record at 17:27.27. The time was set in her final home event – the 2013 UE Invitational. She was a 2-time MVC All-Conference Team member while also making the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team on two occasions.
A double-major at UE (Accounting and Finance with a minor in Economics), Jenkins has posted a perfect 4.0 GPA. Outside of the classroom, the has been an asset to the community, helping with the Boys and Girls Club (building new walking trails), the Relay for Life, has acted as a student tutor for a student with a visual disability and has also been a supplementary instructor in economics.
Also making a significant impact in all facets in his time at UE is men’s golfer Quinn Vilneff. The Sports Management major has finished with a 3.91 GPA in his three years at Evansville. Those efforts culminated in him being named the recipient of the 2013 MVC Elite 18 Award. At the time, he was just the second student-athlete at UE to do so.
Vilneff garnered several accolades as a junior including a Cleveland Golf All-American, MVC All-Conference Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team. He is on pace to record one of the top three stroke averages in program history.
A native of Canada, Vilneff has worked hard to bring hockey awareness to the City of Evansville. He has volunteered well over 400 hours of service to teaching and promoting hockey to the youth of the city and Swonder Ice Rink. He is currently working with the rink with their spring league.
Both Jenkins and Vilneff have had stellar careers on the course and in the classroom at UE. They epitomize what being a student-athlete at the University of Evansville is all about.
