OKLAHOMA CITY – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) announced their 2023 Scholar-Athlete recipients late last week as seven Evangels were selected to each esteemed list.

To garner NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades, a student-athlete must be a sophomore or higher by academic standing, maintain a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average and have attended the nominating institution for a full academic year as well as appear on the NAIA Eligibility Certificate.

To be eligible for NCCAA Scholar-Athlete honors, the student-athlete must be a junior or higher by academic standing, maintain a 3.40 cumulative GPA and have completed at least one semester at the nominating institution.

Of MACU's Scholar-Athlete recipients, senior outside hitter Lena Stockhammer, senior middle blocker Sarah Jones, junior libero Marlee Hunter, junior middle blocker Annabeth Fehrle, and sophomore defensive specialist Sydney Martin and sophomore right side hitter Lauryn Walters were named both NAIA and NCCAA Scholar-Athletes, Casady McKinney was named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete and Miriam Nardi was tabbed an NCCAA Scholar-Athlete.

In her third season with the Evangels, Stockhammer is earning her second NAIA and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete honors while all other recipients are garnering their first Scholar-Athlete accolades.

On-top of the program's strong academic prowess, the Evangels completed a sensational 2023 season on the court, finishing as the NCCAA National Finalist for the second time in the last three seasons, wrapping up the year with a 25-13 overall record and finished third in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with a 15-5 league mark.