Jake Elliott Earns Second Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis four-time First-Team All-AAC honoree and two-time American Special Teams Player of the Year Jake Elliott has earned his second Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award in as many seasons as announced by The American Wednesday. Elliott earns the award after being chosen as the 2016 AAC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in February.

The Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards are given to a student-athlete in each conference-sponsored sport based on academic credentials, athletic accolades and performances and volunteer service to the community. Student-athletes must have attained junior academic standing and have a minimum GPA of 3.00 or higher.

A two-time AAC Special Teams Player of the Year (2014, 2015), Elliott became the first player in the history of The American to earn first-team all-conference honors four times. He was a second-team Associated Press and Walter Camp All-America pick in 2015, a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection in 2016, a finalist for the 2015 Lou Groza Award as the nation's top kicker, and a three-time Groza Award semifinalist.

He finished his career as Memphis' all-time leader in scoring (438 points) and field goals (80). He made all 198 of his PAT attempts in his career and ranks sixth among all kickers in NCAA FBS history in career scoring. He has the four longest field goals in school history (56, 54, 53, 53) and was a nine-time winner of The American's Special Teams Player of the Week award, setting a conference record.

Elliott graduated in May from the University of Memphis with a degree in marketing management. Prior to graduation, Elliott was drafted in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

He was the 2016 winner of The American's Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award for football and was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes athletics, academics and community service. Elliott was a member of Memphis' student-athlete advisory committee and has been a regular volunteer for a number of community service initiatives, including with Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, the American Red Cross, and Make a Wish Foundation.

Elliott is the only recipient of the award from Memphis this season. The Tigers most recently had eight award winners in 2016. UCF led The American this year with five of the 26 award winners.

Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award Winners
Baseball
Hunter Williams, Tulane

Men's Basketball
Semi Ojeleye, SMU

Women's Basketball
Leslie Vorphal, Tulane

Men's Cross Country
Nicholas Buliga, USF*
Marc Scott, Tulsa*

Women's Cross Country
Anne-Marie Blaney, UCF*
Clara Langley, Tulsa*

Football
Jake Elliott, Memphis

Men's Golf
Rigel Fernandes, USF

Women's Golf
Lisa Pettersson, East Carolina*
Megan Thothong, Houston*

Women's Rowing
Ashleigh Boyd, UCF*
Lea Millio, Temple*

Men's Soccer
Joonas Jokinen, Temple

Women's Soccer
Vanessa Gilles, Cincinnati

Softball
Lydia Ritchie, East Carolina

Men's Swimming & Diving
Connor Davis, Cincinnati*
Fran Krznaric, East Carolina*

Women's Swimming & Diving
Vendela Norman, East Carolina

Men's Tennis
Harrison Richmand, UCF

Women's Tennis
Monica Matias, UCF

Men's Indoor Track & Field
Brian Barraza, Houston

Women's Indoor Track & Field
Rosie Chamberlain, UCF

Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Adrian Valles, Cincinnati

Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Daliadiz Ortiz, Tulane

Women's Volleyball
Alexandra Mendoza, USF

*denotes co-winners

University of Memphis Athletics

Jake Elliott Earns Second Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award

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