Spring Awards Banquet Program (PDF)
BLUE ASH, Ohio – At the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Spring Awards Banquet on Tuesday evening, Cedarville University’s Dr. Elizabeth Sled was officially named the 2018-19 Faculty Mentor of the Year as voted by the league’s student-athlete advisory committee.
Dr. Sled accepted the sixth annual presentation of the award following an introduction speech by Yellow Jackets SAAC member and women’s tennis student-athlete Halie Hardwick.
In attendance from the administrative side was director of athletics Dr. Alan Geist, faculty athletic representative Teresa Clark and assistant athletic director for marketing and sponsorships/senior woman administrator Stephanie Zonars.
The Great Midwest Spring Awards Banquet was conducted at Noah’s Event Center as part of the league’s spring joint council meetings.
As the Great Midwest award winner at the conference level, Dr. Sled will also be nominated at the national level towards consideration for the NCAA Division II Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor of the Year honor.
Dr. Sled, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Cedarville, joins Trevecca Nazarene’s Jeff Swink (2013-14; 2016-17) and Dr. Brenda Patterson (2014-15), Alderson Broaddus’ J.D. Long (2015-16) and Davis & Elkins’ Jennifer Riggleman (2017-18) as conference winners.
Dr. Sled’s curriculum has a direct impact on the well being of Yellow Jackets’ student-athletes. She educates students on how to care for their bodies, balance, nutrition, training and competing to their full potential.
In Cedarville’s Allied Health department, her influence spreads beyond athletics and into the community. She is a very familiar face supporting Cedarville athletics events and has also served as a volunteer for home track and field meets.
Her mentorship ensures and reinforces support in their academic and athletic endeavors. In the words of Ross Melchior, Cedarville baseball player/SAAC president, “When student-athletes feel overwhelmed with the double standards of academics and athletics, Dr. Sled comforts and reassures them, reminding them that God is ever in control, even when surrounding circumstances scream otherwise.”
Melchior also adds that Dr. Sled will send encouraging notes if student-athletes are struggling with poor performance, injuries or illness. She equips students to not only succeed in their undergraduate work, but their graduate studies and in their future career aspirations.
Dr. Sled’s servant leadership has been on display at Cedarville since 2012. According to her university bio, her teaching and research interests include biomechanics, anatomy and exercise science.