Forrest Named ACC Indoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year
April 13, 2021 | Academic Services, Track & Field
Cards place nine on All-ACC Academic Teams
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Louisville's Makenli Forrest has been named the ACC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field. The Cardinals also placed nine student-athletes on the All-ACC Academic Teams as announced on Tuesday by the league office.
Forrest, who was also named a 2021 ACC Postgraduate Scholar and voted the ACC Women's Field Performer of the Year, registered a personal-best and Louisville school-record mark of 23.26 meters (76-3.75) to claim the gold medal on the opening day of the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 11 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The mark shattered the Louisville school record of 22.76m (74-8.25) and ranked as the top collegiate indoor throw this year.
Forrest also took the gold medal at the ACC Championships with a winning throw of 22.46m (73-8.25). The Ellenwood, Georgia, native maintains a 3.6 career GPA while majoring in exercise science. Forrest is a six-time member of the Louisville Athletic Director's Honor Roll and a four-time dean's list student. She was named a Dean's Scholar in 2020 and is repeat member of the All-ACC Academic Indoor Track and Field Academic Team.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
Joining Forrest on the ACC Women's Indoor Track and Field All-Academic team are: Halee Hudson, Gabriela Leon, Purity Sanga, Auriane Viola and Aliyah Welter.
Halee Hudson, (Williamstown, Ky.) earned 2021 NCAA All-American second team honors in the weight throw. The senior tallied top-three finished three times this season, including a fourth-place finish in the 2021 ACC Indoor Championships to earn second team all-conference honors. The exercise physiology major is an 11-time member of the Athletic Director's honor roll, has been named to the Dean's List seven-times and is a six-time Red & Black Scholar.
Gabriela Leon, (Grand Rapids, Mich.) was a 2021 all-conference second team performer after earning a fourth place finish in the pole vault at the ACC Indoor Championships. The exercise science major is a two-time ACC-Academic Team selection. Other academic honors include: seven times on the Athletic Director's honor roll and four Dean's List and Red & Black Scholar honors.
Purity Sanga, (Kapsabet, Kenya), captured the bronze medal in the 5000m run, clocking in at 16:17.90 to earn first team All-ACC honors. The redshirt junior also won the McCravy Green Invitational and posted four top-three finishes in the indoor season. After transferring from Tennessee Tech last year, the public health major has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the Dean's List. She is also a member of the 2021 All-ACC Cross Country Academic Team.
Auriane Viola (Schiltigheim, France) earned all-conference second team honors with a career-best mark in the pole vault to finish fifth in the ACC Championships. The marketing major is a two-time Red & Black Scholar and Dean's List honoree and has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll three times.
Aliyah Welter (Monticello, Ill.) earned 2021 NCAA All-American second team honors in pole vault. The junior tied a school record with a vault of 4.32m (14-2) to place second in the 2021 ACC Indoor Championships, earning first team all-conference honors. The exercise science/sport administration major and two-time Dean's Scholar honoree, has been named to the Athletic Director's honor roll five times and is a three-time Red & Black Scholar.
On the men's side, the Cardinals placed three on the ACC Indoor Track and Field All-ACC squad. Earning the honor for Louisville include Justin Lehmkuhler, Sean Roth and Sterling Warner-Savage.
Justin Lehmkuhler, a freshman from Versailles, Ky., earned All-ACC second team accolades, tallying a career-best 4961 points in the heptathlon. The mechanical engineering major is a Red & Black Scholar and has been named to the Athletic Director's honor roll.
Sean Roth, a graduate student from Düsseldorf, Germany is currently pursuing his MBA. In the 2021 season, he was a first team all-conference performer in the pole vault after taking the bronze medal in the ACC Indoor Championships. He also set a school record in the 5.31m (17-5) mark in the pole vault in the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite. He has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and a was a Red & Black Scholar in 2020.
Sterling Warner-Savage, a junior from Snellville, Ga., is a first team 2021 NCAA Indoor All-American in the 60m dash, establishing a new school record in the prelims. He earned the bronze medal at the ACC Indoor Championships and posted four wins during the season. The exercise science major is a Red & Black Scholar and a two-time Athletic Director's honor roll member.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Louisville All-ACC Women's Indoor Track and Field Academic Team
Makenli Forrest, Sr., Exercise Science– ACC Indoor Track and Field Female Scholar Athlete of the Year
Halee Hudson, Gr., Exercise Physiology
Gabriela Leon, Sr., Exercise Science
Purity Sanga, Sr., Public Health
Auriane Viola, So., Marketing
Aliyah Welter, Jr., Exercise Science/Sport Administration
Louisville All-ACC Men's Indoor Track and Field Academic Team
Justin Lehmkuhler, Fr., Mechanical Engineering
Sean Roth, Gr., MBA
Sterling Warner-Savage, Jr., Exercise Science
Forrest, who was also named a 2021 ACC Postgraduate Scholar and voted the ACC Women's Field Performer of the Year, registered a personal-best and Louisville school-record mark of 23.26 meters (76-3.75) to claim the gold medal on the opening day of the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 11 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The mark shattered the Louisville school record of 22.76m (74-8.25) and ranked as the top collegiate indoor throw this year.
Forrest also took the gold medal at the ACC Championships with a winning throw of 22.46m (73-8.25). The Ellenwood, Georgia, native maintains a 3.6 career GPA while majoring in exercise science. Forrest is a six-time member of the Louisville Athletic Director's Honor Roll and a four-time dean's list student. She was named a Dean's Scholar in 2020 and is repeat member of the All-ACC Academic Indoor Track and Field Academic Team.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
Joining Forrest on the ACC Women's Indoor Track and Field All-Academic team are: Halee Hudson, Gabriela Leon, Purity Sanga, Auriane Viola and Aliyah Welter.
Halee Hudson, (Williamstown, Ky.) earned 2021 NCAA All-American second team honors in the weight throw. The senior tallied top-three finished three times this season, including a fourth-place finish in the 2021 ACC Indoor Championships to earn second team all-conference honors. The exercise physiology major is an 11-time member of the Athletic Director's honor roll, has been named to the Dean's List seven-times and is a six-time Red & Black Scholar.
Gabriela Leon, (Grand Rapids, Mich.) was a 2021 all-conference second team performer after earning a fourth place finish in the pole vault at the ACC Indoor Championships. The exercise science major is a two-time ACC-Academic Team selection. Other academic honors include: seven times on the Athletic Director's honor roll and four Dean's List and Red & Black Scholar honors.
Purity Sanga, (Kapsabet, Kenya), captured the bronze medal in the 5000m run, clocking in at 16:17.90 to earn first team All-ACC honors. The redshirt junior also won the McCravy Green Invitational and posted four top-three finishes in the indoor season. After transferring from Tennessee Tech last year, the public health major has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the Dean's List. She is also a member of the 2021 All-ACC Cross Country Academic Team.
Auriane Viola (Schiltigheim, France) earned all-conference second team honors with a career-best mark in the pole vault to finish fifth in the ACC Championships. The marketing major is a two-time Red & Black Scholar and Dean's List honoree and has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll three times.
Aliyah Welter (Monticello, Ill.) earned 2021 NCAA All-American second team honors in pole vault. The junior tied a school record with a vault of 4.32m (14-2) to place second in the 2021 ACC Indoor Championships, earning first team all-conference honors. The exercise science/sport administration major and two-time Dean's Scholar honoree, has been named to the Athletic Director's honor roll five times and is a three-time Red & Black Scholar.
On the men's side, the Cardinals placed three on the ACC Indoor Track and Field All-ACC squad. Earning the honor for Louisville include Justin Lehmkuhler, Sean Roth and Sterling Warner-Savage.
Justin Lehmkuhler, a freshman from Versailles, Ky., earned All-ACC second team accolades, tallying a career-best 4961 points in the heptathlon. The mechanical engineering major is a Red & Black Scholar and has been named to the Athletic Director's honor roll.
Sean Roth, a graduate student from Düsseldorf, Germany is currently pursuing his MBA. In the 2021 season, he was a first team all-conference performer in the pole vault after taking the bronze medal in the ACC Indoor Championships. He also set a school record in the 5.31m (17-5) mark in the pole vault in the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite. He has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and a was a Red & Black Scholar in 2020.
Sterling Warner-Savage, a junior from Snellville, Ga., is a first team 2021 NCAA Indoor All-American in the 60m dash, establishing a new school record in the prelims. He earned the bronze medal at the ACC Indoor Championships and posted four wins during the season. The exercise science major is a Red & Black Scholar and a two-time Athletic Director's honor roll member.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Louisville All-ACC Women's Indoor Track and Field Academic Team
Makenli Forrest, Sr., Exercise Science– ACC Indoor Track and Field Female Scholar Athlete of the Year
Halee Hudson, Gr., Exercise Physiology
Gabriela Leon, Sr., Exercise Science
Purity Sanga, Sr., Public Health
Auriane Viola, So., Marketing
Aliyah Welter, Jr., Exercise Science/Sport Administration
Louisville All-ACC Men's Indoor Track and Field Academic Team
Justin Lehmkuhler, Fr., Mechanical Engineering
Sean Roth, Gr., MBA
Sterling Warner-Savage, Jr., Exercise Science
