CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Big South Conference today announced that a league-record 14 student-athletes have been awarded the Conference's prestigious George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence.  The award is given to a graduating male and female student-athlete who attain the highest GPA during their undergraduate collegiate careers.  It is the 14th consecutive year at least SIX student-athletes have been honored, and the total surpasses the record number of 12 recipients achieved in 2019-20 and 2024-25. Dalton Olsovsky from the High Point University baseball team has been named to the list for his academic excellence during his time as a Panther.
 
Big South member institutions nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the annual Christenberry Award, or multiple student-athletes that tie for the highest GPA on their respective campus.  The honor is named for George A. Christenberry, the former President of Augusta College (now Augusta University) and one of the founders of the Big South Conference.  A member of the Big South Hall of Fame, Christenberry served as the league's first President from 1983-86. 
 
Olsovsky (Keller, Texas) has appeared in 32 games for the Panthers during his three years with the program. He's made eight starts over his career and had the most impact his freshman season when the Panthers won their first Big South Conference Tournament in program history.  He has a career 5-5 record with 55 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched for HPU.  Academically, Olsovsky is at the highest level with a 4.0 GPA and graduated in just three years.  He has passed the SIE (Securities Industrial Essentials) exam en route to earning his degree in Finance.
 
Below are this year's recipients in alphabetical order:

• Radford women's lacrosse player Mady Cheney (4.00 in Marketing & Economics)
• Radford women's cross country/track & field runner Mia Farley (4.00 in Allied Health Sciences)
• UNC Asheville men's soccer player Miller Hayden (4.00 in IDC - Healthcare and Society)
• Gardner-Webb women's swimmer Sara-Michael Jann (4.00 in Biology)
• Gardner-Webb men's swimmer Jacob Jensen (4.00 in Accounting)
• Radford women's golfer Macy Johnson (4.00 in Economics)
• Winthrop volleyball player Avery Jolley (4.00 in Business Administration/Healthcare Management)
• USC Upstate women's basketball player Aubrie Kierscht (4.00 in Political Science)
• Presbyterian women's soccer player Izzy Manders-Lamcken (4.00 in Biochemistry)
• Winthrop volleyball player Rachel McCollum (4.00 in Biology)
• High Point baseball player Dalton Olsovsky (4.00 in Finance)
• UNC Asheville women's swimmer Tess Peny (4.00 in Health Sciences)
• Charleston Southern volleyball player Emily Struckmeyer (4.00 in Pre-Law/Legal Studies/Student Ministry)
• Presbyterian women's soccer player Ella Williams (4.00 in Biology)

HPU will play its final regular season series beginning on Thursday May 14 at UNC Asheville at 6:00 p.m.