OVC Scholar-Athlete Award Winners Named

The six winners were selected from a group of 16 finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.5 grade-point average and conducted themselves in a manner which has brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution, intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the 2020-21 school year.

The 2021-22 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete winners are: Riley Baker of Eastern Illinois (track & field), Megan Burton of Eastern Illinois (softball), Seth Carlisle of Tennessee Tech (football), Conley Chinn at Belmont (basketball), Amber Schifano of Morehead State (rifle) and Takeem Young of UT Martin (football).

This marks the third time in school history that EIU has had both a men’s and women’s winner in the same year.  The Panthers had multiple winners previously in 1996-97 (Justin Weiss & Vanessa Wells) and 2004-05 (Aaron Grobengieser & Erica Gerth).   Baker is the 12th EIU male student-athlete to win the award and third straight as EIU had male winners in 2019-20 with Joe Caputo and last year with Baker’s teammate Jaime Marcos.   Burton is the eighth EIU student-athlete to win the award and first since Stephanie Arnold in 2012-13. 

Riley Baker – Baker competes for the Eastern Illinois track and field team in the 400-meter dash, 400-meter hurdles and 4x400 relay. During his career he has earned a pair of first-team All-OVC and a pair of second-team All-OVC honors and qualified for the NCAA West Regional in hurdles a year ago. Baker has been a part of three OVC Championship teams (2019 Outdoor, 2020 Indoor, 2021 Outdoor). In the classroom he has compiled a 3.90 grade point average in teacher education. Baker has been named to the Dean’s List multiple times, named a USTFCCCA All-Academic selection in spring 2021 and earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor. He serves as a Department Ambassador for the Department of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation (KSR), is a member of the Physical Education/Teacher Education (PETE) Club and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Baker has also volunteered at numerous events around campus and in the Charleston community.

Megan Burton – Burton is in her final season with the Eastern Illinois softball program. A team captain, the shortstop was named the 2021 OVC Player of the Year and a NFCA All-Mideast Region selection. During her career she has established school single-season records for home runs and slugging and ranks in the Top 10 in a career in home runs, doubles, runs and stolen bases. She completed her undergraduate degree in teacher education with a 3.94 grade point average and is currently working on her master’s degree where she has a 4.0 GPA. She has earned three OVC Academic Medal of Honor awards during her academic career, been named to the EIU’s Dean’s List and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection a year ago. On campus she is a member of the Physical Education Club, an EIU Athletic student employee and previously served as a Residence Hall Association Representative. Burton has volunteered with several projects including Girls on the Run, Special Olympics, Camp New Hope and reading at elementary schools.

Seth Carlisle – Carlisle is in his fourth season with the Tennessee Tech football team where he has played linebacker and served as a team captain. During the seven-game spring season he led the team with 50 tackles, earning the team’s Robert Hill Johnson Award as team MVP. The year prior (2019), he ranked second on the Golden Eagles’ squad with 88 stops. In the classroom he was a 3.61 grade point average in biology health sciences (pre-dentistry) and earned multiple OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll selections. He has also been named to the TTU AD’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List and been the recipient of the Headrick Pre-Heath Sciences Scholarship, the Jerry D. Cantrell Endowment Scholarship and the Golden Opportunity Scholarship. Carlisle is a member of the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee Student-Athlete Connection Group, the TTU and OVC Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC), the Chem-Med Club and the Tennessee Tech Football Leadership Group. He has volunteered at various elementary schools, food pantries, charities and youth clinics.

Conley Chinn – Chinn is in her fifth year with the Belmont women’s basketball program where she has been a part of three NCAA Tournament teams and earned first-team All-OVC honors in 2020-21. During the season she ranked second on the team and 13th in the OVC in scoring (12.8 points/game) while also pulling down 4.8 rebounds/game and shooting 45.2 percent from the field. Chinn has started every game over the past two seasons. In the classroom she has a perfect 4.0 grade point average in psychology (pre-med). A year ago she earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors (one of just 15 players nationally) and was named the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar Athlete of the Year. Additionally, Chinn has been named to the Belmont Dean’s List, the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor multiple times. She is a member of the Alpha Chi and Psi Chi honor societies, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) where she served as Vice President and Chair of the Community Service Committee. She has volunteered with Best Buddies of Tennessee, Harvest Hands, People Loving Nashville and the St. Bernard School.

Amber Schifano – Schifano is in her fourth year with the Morehead State rifle team, serving as a team captain and helping the Eagles to the 2020 OVC Championship. A year ago she was named first-team All-OVC in Air Rifle, placing fifth at the OVC Championship. She was also first-team in 2019-20, tying for second-place at the 2020 OVC Championship. She also posted the best air rifle average as any sophomore in MSU program history (587/600) and qualified for the USA Shooting Junior Olympics in air rifle in 2019 and 2020. In the classroom she has a 3.92 grade point average in biomedical science/pre-med. Schifano has earned multiple selections to the MSU Dean’s List, the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Collegiate Rifle Association Scholastic All-American Team and been awarded the George M. Luckey Scholarship and the MSU Honors Program. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Secretary, the Tri Beta National Biological Honor Society President and the MSU Academic Honors Student Association Secretary. She has volunteered with The People’s Clinic, the Kentucky Rural Health Association Student Chapter and Setebaid Services among other activities.

Takeem Young – Young is currently competing in his fifth year with the UT Martin football team where he plays strong safety and serves as a team captain. In 2020-21 he started all seven games, tallying 37 tackles and two interceptions and was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week on April 13. A year prior (2019), he started all 12 games, making 63 tackles and having a pair of multiple interception games and tallying eight total pass breakups. In the classroom he has a 3.88 grade point average in exercise science and wellness with a minor in nutrition. Young has earned the OVC Academic Medal of Honor in addition to multiple selections to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the UTM Chancellor’s Honor Roll and the UTM Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. He is a member of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and volunteered with Special Olympics and Shape Club in addition to helping with voter registration on campus and collecting food items for Captain’s Pantry.

Other nominees for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Gino Avros of Austin Peay (baseball), Isabelle Austin of Tennessee Tech (soccer), Shane Burns of Murray State (baseball), Paige Clark of UT Martin (softball), Evan Davis of Belmont (golf), Omardrick Douglas of Southeast Missouri (football), Abigail Jones of Murray State (soccer), Lexi Osowski of Austin Peay (softball), Gina Rivera-Ortiz of Tennessee State (volleyball) and Josh Trueheart of Tennessee State (football).