CSAC Announces 2021-22 Scholar-Athletes of the Year
VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) is proud to announce
Josh Melchior, baseball student-athlete from Cairn University, and
Jenna Carty, field hockey and softball student-athlete from Wilson College, as the 2021-22 CSAC Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year following a vote by the conference’s athletic directors.
“These two student-athletes exemplify the best of the CSAC and Division III values. I’m thrilled to bestow this recognition on Josh and Jenna’s outstanding collegiate careers, not only on the field of play but also in the classroom and in the community,” said Marie Stroman, CSAC Commissioner.
Josh Melchior was a four-year starter for Cairn’s baseball team and a team captain for two of those seasons. In 2022, he received the Clarence E. Mason Award for Athletic Excellence at Cairn and was a three-time all-conference selection including first-team honors in his junior year. During his senior year, he helped lead the team to a school-record 25 wins and set the longest win-streak in program history at 13 games. Melchior accumulated 142 career hits, 120 runs scored, 73 stolen bases while holding a .347 career batting average. His 35 stolen bases in his senior season were tied for seventh-most among NCAA Division III counterparts.
Academically, Melchior was recognized with the Highlander Award at Cairn University. The award goes to the student who displays excellence in leadership, education and student life for the 2021-22 school year. He was also named Cairn’s 2022 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
He was active in community service and on campus, serving as a residence assistant for two years and was Vice President of the Health Sciences Club. Melchior also helped with basketball commentary for two and a half seasons on campus.
Melchior graduated with a degree in Biology (Pre-Med) and carried a 3.98 GPA through undergraduate studies and a 4.0 GPA through his spring semester of graduate school.
Jenna Carty was a dual-sport student-athlete, including being a three-year starter for the field hockey team and a four-year starter for the softball team. Carty served as captain for both teams her senior year. As a field hockey student-athlete, she was a three-time all-conference performer. She is fifth on Wilson’s career defensive saves list helping lead a team that was top in the nation for shutouts. On the softball field, Carty was a three-time all-conference selection tallying over 100 career hits. She was consistently on the leaderboards in the conference for home runs, triples and RBIs.
Academically, Carty was a member of the National Leadership Honor Society and Omicron Delta Kappa. She was awarded the Wilson College Pentathlon Award which is awarded for excellence in athletics and academics, participation, willingness to cooperate, spirit of fair play and enthusiastic attitude. Carty was also a member of the NFHCA National Academic Team, National Scholar of Distinction, CSAC All-Academic Team, and was on the Dean’s List for eight semesters.
Carty was an active participant in community service by volunteering for Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and Adopt-A-Highway cleanup. Carty was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from 2018-21 for Wilson College.
Carty graduated with a dual certification in Early Childhood and Special Education with a 3.9 GPA. She also has a 4.0 GPA through the spring semester of graduate school.
The CSAC Scholar Athlete Award recognizes student-athletes for their academic, athletic and community service achievements. Each institution may nominate one male and one female for inclusion on the ballot produced by the conference office. The ballot is voted on by each Athletics Directors.
In order to be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must be a senior exhausting their athletics eligibility; have demonstrated athletic success, earned a varsity letter, and been a key contributor to the team; have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.20; and compete in a NCAA sanctioned sport.