INDIANAPOLIS – Walsh junior runner Jacob Turner was officially announced as the 2018-19 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Tuesday morning.
Turner received some notable hardware during this past season while excelling athletically and academically for the Cavaliers and head coach Rob Mizicko’s cross country/track and field programs.
“I am honored to receive the G-MAC Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award,” Tuner said in a statement. “Thank you to the G-MAC and everyone who helped me along the way. I am grateful for all of the support from family, friends, teammates, coaches, and the Walsh community these past years.”
“Jacob was an amazing student-athlete for both our track and cross country programs,” praised Mizicko. “During his time at Walsh, he excelled both academically and athletically. In addition to his academic and athletic success, Jacob is an outstanding leader who displays remarkable character. It was an honor to have Jacob as an integral part of our cross country and track program. I cannot think of a more worthy recipient of this award.”
While serving as host for the Great Midwest Championships in Canton, Turner helped Walsh finish as the team runner-up in the men’s 8K race scoring.
Also in cross country, the South Bend, Ind., native was part of the Cavaliers’ record-setting 8K team performance registered at the All-Ohio Championships on Sept. 29 with a time of 2:04.30.00.
Turner and the Cavaliers then competed at the NCAA Championships Festival in Pittsburgh, Pa., at Schenley Park and posted an 18th-place team finish. He also helped the program make a trip to nationals as a sophomore in 2017.
During the indoor track and field season, he raced in four 5K races, including a top-7 effort at the Great Midwest Championships at Findlay. Turner also finished seventh at the Kent State Tune-Up, a 3K distance.
Turner was asked to do more at the outdoor conference championships, entering in the 5K and 10K. He earned all-conference honors in the 10K race with a third-place performance.
In the classroom, Turner has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA as a Biology major in the pre-professional track. In April, he received not only the award for outstanding senior in Walsh’s Biology program, but also the most outstanding student award at the institution as a whole.
Turner’s career path as an aspiring physician will take a new turn this fall at Marian University, where he will be attending osteopathic school.
Turner was also involved in various service projects on campus, including muscular dystrophy association camp counselor, volunteer at Saint Joseph’s hospital and played a major role in the Walsh Dance Marathon, an annual fundraising event for the Akron Children’s Hospital.
Turner is the first male from Walsh to receive the league’s scholar-athlete of the year honor. He is the third track and field/XC runner in the award’s history, joining Cedarville’s Forrest Thayer (2015-16) and David Yoder (2014-15).