Former Central College softball athlete Tabitha Taylor and men’s cross country/track and field runner Mark Fairley have been named finalists for the American Rivers Conference’s 2017-18 Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.

Taylor, now a Corporate Financial Accountant at Pella Corp, is one of four finalists for the Joahanna Olson Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Fairley, now a graduate assistant coach for cross country and track and field at Liberty University, is one of three finalists for the Duane Schroeder Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. The conference honor recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated high levels of accomplishment and achievement in athletics and academics while also serving the community.

To qualify for nomination, student-athletes must have graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the year the award is given, achieve a 3.5 or better cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale) and show evidence of service and leadership. Central has had three student-athletes receive the Duane Schroeder Award in its 17-year history. Riley Gray (football) was the 2016-17 recipient and was preceded by Kyle Frieschlag (men’s tennis) in 2013-14 and Adam Duerfeldt (baseball) in 2005-06. Central has also had two Johanna Olson Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winners: Jill (Ziskovsy) Halcomb (track and field) won in in 2010-11. Raegan (Schultz) Wagner (volleyball, track and field) received the honor in 2003-04.