Stein, who became USI’s all-time leading scorer in his final game of his collegiate career, is collecting his second-straight honor after leading the Screaming Eagles to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight this past March.
A first-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference and All-Midwest Region selection, Stein collected honorable mention All-America honors after averaging 20.9 points per game and setting the school’s single-season scoring record with 732 points.
In the classroom, Stein became the first USI player in program history to earn Academic All-America and GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors this season and capped his career off by being named the GLVC Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award. He graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in management and minor in sports and business studies.
His efforts this year led the Eagles to a 26-9 overall record and their first NCAA II Midwest Region title since 2004.
Student-athletes under consideration for the ONB/USI Male Student Athlete of the Year award included Stein, Austin Nolan (men’s cross country) and Sean Rickey (men’s soccer).
Leonhardt is earning her first USI Student Athlete of the Year honor after a stellar season that saw her earn GLVC Pitcher of the Year and GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year accolades.
A second-team All-American on the field in 2019, Leonhardt went 21-9 in the pitcher’s circle with four saves, a 1.29 ERA, 243 strikeouts and a .187 opponent batting average. She tossed to complete-game shutouts in the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament, bringing her single-season total to a school-record tying 13 as well as her career mark to a school-record tying 33. She also broke the school records for strikeouts (705) and wins (76).
Her efforts on the field helped lead the Eagles to a 35-21 overall record and a 19-7 mark in GLVC play. USI advanced to the NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament for the fifth-straight year and sixth time in seven seasons.
In the class room, Leonhardt earned first-team Academic All-America honors and was named the GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year. She has accumulated a 3.764 grade point average as a biology major at USI and is a three-time Academic All-GLVC honoree.
Student-athletes under consideration for the ONB/USI Female Student Athlete of the Year award included Leonhardt, Imani Guy (women’s basketball), Claire Johnson (softball) and Madelyne Juenger (women’s soccer).
