Below are the Sun Devil Student-Athletes of the Semester and the runner-ups who displayed balance and are recognized for their admirable work ethic in the classroom as well as with their respective sports:
Male Student-Athletes of the Fall Semester:
Demetrius Cherry
Football
Demetrius had a great fall semester, not only is he a Scholar Baller, but he held himself accountable to every aspect of his academic life as a Sun Devil. He said that his motivation to succeed academically is because of the challenges he had in the past which have inspired him to “get better, improve and become a better student”. Not only did Demetrius have an academically successful fall, he has a very positive attitude – he set goals for himself, listened to advice, kept all his academic appointments and did everything he could to learn and grow as a student! “The biggest motivation I have is to make my parents proud of me.” That he did!
What advice would you share with the Sun Devil family to inspire others to commit to upholding competing with passion and character in their own lives?
“Give everything your all, stay focused on what you want to do because there are a lot of distractions, and always try to be the best.”
Sai Tummala
Men’s Basketball
Sai Tummala is a member of the ASU Men’s Basketball team here at ASU and is a BioScience major. He is a dedicated student-athlete who competes with passion and character, not only in his sport, but in the classroom as well. Sai has finished up his first semester as a junior at ASU with a solid 4.00 cumulative GPA. Sai is a member of Barrett The Honors College and worked incredibly hard this semester to maintain his academics while in season with basketball. “What motivates my commitment to academics the most is that I don't see schooling as something that is just another task to complete, but rather as a lifelong investment in myself. I think that both athletics and school are intertwined and the same characteristics that define a good athlete can also be used to talk about good students.”
What advice would Sai share with the Sun Devil family to inspire others to commit to upholding these values in their own lives?
“I think that excellence is something that everybody should pursue in all aspects of their life. Whether it’s on the court or in the classroom, I believe that if you give everything you have that at the end of the day you will be happy with the results. There are definitely times when this is a challenge, but perseverance and diligence always prevails.”
Runners Up:
Traveyon Armstrong
Men’s Track & Field
Trae’s semester couldn’t have gone much better, and I think he even quite possibly exceeded his own expectations. Trae knew that this year would be an important one for him in the classroom and on the track as he was no longer “just a freshman” and his academic coach could tell from day one of the fall semester that he wouldn’t accept anything less than 100% from himself. He finished his fall with a semester GPA of 3.46. Traveyon has showed relentless pursuit of academic success this fall and knows that the pressure is on him to keep up the momentum in the spring, but Trae likes and accepts the pressure that comes along with success and he is ready for the next challenge, not only to improve even more in the classroom but also to bring out his inner Usain Bolt on the track! Congratulations Trae!
Max Rottluff
Men’s Golf
Max joins the Sun Devils from Germany and has been an exceptional student and athlete since stepping foot on campus. Currently a sophomore, Max has been a contributor to his team since his freshman year. Max finished the past Fall Semester with a 3.72 GPA, bringing his CUM GPA to a 3.49. Max encountered some obstacles this fall through an injury, however he has not let this phase him and his pursuit to excel. “ I see myself as a leader and champion in everything I do. That’s why I set high goals for myself and work even harder to achieve them. When I realized I would be out for the fall because of the wrist injury, I set higher academic goals in order to get better in something this semester. It is the reason I am a Sun Devil!”
What advice would Sai share with the Sun Devil family to inspire others to commit to upholding these values in their own lives?
“No matter what throwback you experience, there is always a way to get better at something! It is the positive attitude and commitment to work on every possible aspect in your sport/school/life that enables you to succeed.”
Nick Rex
Wrestling
Nick joined the Sun Devils this Fall semester after completing his undergraduate degree at Campbell University. It was a tough decision for Nick to make as he faced some resistance and doubt in his ability to be successful in graduate school. With one year of eligibility remaining, Nick decided to come to Arizona State to pursue his Master’s degree while wrestling. Nick finds a lot of motivation through his previous experiences as a student, “the thing that drives me to excel academically is my failures in the past. I was never a good student. I actually had a 1.7 my first semester and almost got kicked out of school. I have never even made above a 3.0 until graduate school.” This he did, as Nick earned a perfect 4.0 GPA his first semester of graduate school!
What advice would Nick share with the Sun Devil family to inspire others to commit to upholding excellence in their own lives?
“The advice I would have to give is to not let anyone put doubt in your heart. If you know that something is right in your heart then go for it and take a risk because it will haunt you for the rest of your life if you don’t.”
Vivii Teofilo
Football
Vi Teoflio entered Arizona State University 3 years ago from Moon Valley High School in Arizona. Vi struggled to effectively transition into the high intensity student-athlete experience. This was not due to lack of ability or intellect, but to a lack of commitment to giving his best. Over the past two semesters we have seen a transformation in Vi. He has taken ownership for his academic success and achieved his highest GPA this fall, well over 3.00. It is of no coincidence that Vi has also greatly elevated his play on the field and is emerging as a leader on the offensive line.
Female Student-Athletes of the Fall Semester:
Lucy Lara
Women’s Soccer
Lucy’s goal was to be a scholar-baller this semester…and that she did! Lucy finished this fall with a semester GPA of 3.83! She is very proud of her accomplishments as we all are in the Office of Student-Athlete Development. She has showed strong maturity and taken responsibility of her academic work and she has been putting in countless hours to achieve academic success that she expects from herself, and I have even joked with her that she should just pitch a tent on our 2nd floor because she practically lived here at times. What motivates Lucy is her family and friends. “When you see successful people all around you, it makes you want to be the same way. There are expectations on all of us as Sun Devil Student-Athletes and I want to make sure I am holding up my end of the bargain in everything that I do to represent the university the right way!” On the field Lucy has had to endure her fair share of injuries but it has not stopped her from competing and giving it her all on the pitch. Through persistence and perseverance, she continues to achieve success.
What advice would Lucy share with the Sun Devil family to uphold these same values?
“Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”
Alexis Cooper
Women’s Softball
Alexis is currently on a sophomore on the women’s softball team. Coming into her second year, Alexis had a perfect 4.0 GPA! Alexis had to overcome some tough obstacles this semester that required her to be away from school for over two weeks. Despite the challenges, Alexis was determined to succeed in the classroom. Alexis finished the semester with a 3.96 GPA. “I have always strived to do my best whether it is in the classroom or on the field. There is no feeling like seeing hard work pay off once you reach a goal. That feeling is what motivates me to be committed to excellence and staying relentless in my pursuits.”
What advice would Alexis share with the Sun Devil family to uphold these same values?
“The first piece of advice I would give is to establish goals for yourself. In order to accomplish great things, you must first know where you are going. The second piece of advice I have is to be persistent. You may encounter difficulties along the way but pushing through them is key to succeeding.”
Runners Up:
Carissa Kraus
Women’s Gymnastics
Carissa joined the Gym Devils in the Fall 2012 semester, from Maple Grove, Minnesota. During her first season Carissa competed in every meet for the Sun Devils on both the bars and vault.
Carissa is a Marketing major in the W.P. Carey School of Business. Carissa had an outstanding Fall semester! “What motivates me to being relentless in my academics and being able to achieve my academic goals is aiming to be the best scholar athlete I can be both in and outside of the gym. Being relentless means to never give up and always continue to give 110% at what I do. My goals are to be a scholar athlete every year and to be a role model for my teammates and everyone around me. I was given such an amazing opportunity here at Arizona State University. What got me here was all the support from the coaches, my teammates, and my family, and my hard work and determination, and I will because of that I will never stop giving it my all and working to achieve my goals.”
What advice would Carissa share with the Sun Devil family to inspire others to commit to being relentless in their own lives?
“Some advice that I would give to the sun devil family about being relentless in their own lives is to just never give up on what you want and to always work your hardest to achieve your goals because you can be anything you want to be in life, you just need to get out there and make it happen!”
Monica Vaughn
Women’s Golf
Monica is currently a freshman on the women’s golf team and she had a terrific start to her career at ASU. Monica immediately became a contributor to the golf team. At the same time, Monica did not let the challenges of traveling during her first semester of college prevent her from being successful in the classroom. She earned a 3.69 GPA for her very first semester! As Monica describes, “I take school very seriously and I was worried that once I got to college it would be extremely hard. I kept that mindset throughout the semester and worked very hard not just to get good grades but to gain knowledge. I studied a lot and kept in close touch with all of my professors to keep up with my school work and paid close attention to any suggestions they had.”
What advice would Monica share with the Sun Devil family to inspire others to commit to upholding excellence in their own lives?
“I would tell others that they are here first for an education. There is so much time left in our lives to do other things, but for right now, for the next four years, we are here to get a great education, so think of that as your main priority. As long as you have a good, healthy balance between your academic and social life you won’ need to worry about your grades or how your doing in school because you will be doing just fine.”
WBB Freshman Class
Starting their ASU careers this past fall, the three Women's Basketball freshmen, Sophie Brunner, Kelsey Moos, and Quinn Dornstauder, demonstrated The Sun Devil Way throughout the semester. Contributing on the court, excelling in the classroom, participating in community service, and more, they have shown the ability to be relentless, to be a family, and to be Sun Devils. Congratulations to the Women’s Basketball Freshman class for excelling during your first semester!
Shaina Corbin
Women’s Track & Field
Shaina Corbin consistently gets the job done in the classroom. She took initiative this fall semester to stretch her boundaries in pursuing internships and develop her skills in career-related areas all while training, competing, and maintaining her academics and athletics. Shaina quietly models The Sun Devil Athletics Way in all that she does.
Caitlyn Francis
Women’ Volleyball
A senior from Roseville, California, Caitlyn Francis just finished an amazing volleyball career at Arizona State. Caitlyn is an outstanding student-athlete. Double majoring in Psychology and Family and Human Development, Caitlyn excels in the classroom and has a cumulative GPA of 4.00. In the Spring of 2012, Caitlyn was awarded the Phil Mickelson Award for Excellence in Psychology from the ASU Psychology Department. Also a member of the prestigious Barrett Honors College, Caitlyn will graduate in the Spring of 2014 upon completion of her honors thesis. Caitlyn is passionate about Psychology and has participated in several research projects on campus, despite her busy schedule with school, practice and traveling for competition. “I want to get the most out of my education as I can. I love learning and my parents have instilled in me a drive to try my hardest in all that I do. I am very motivated to go to graduate school in Psychology, so I wanted to prove myself in the classroom and prepare the best I can for rigorous graduate school classes. I have appreciated the challenge of the Barrett Honors College and competing in such a high level of volleyball.”
What advice would Caitlyn share with the Sun Devil family to inspire others to commit to upholding the commitment to compete with passion and character in their own lives?
“I would encourage student- athletes to dedicate themselves as much to their careers and life as they did to their sports. The passion, perseverance, and work ethic can transfer to all aspects of their lives because it has become part of their character. Participating in high-level athletics has helped me to develop a competitive nature that pushes me to become my best self. I appreciate that and I am excited to see how that transfers into my life after ASU.”
Jaclyn Chavez
Women’s Swimming
When Jaclyn came to ASU as a freshman in the Fall of 2010 from Fullerton, California, she struggled to maintain the balance between student and athlete. What a difference four years makes! In her junior year, Jaclyn decided that she was going to do a better job in the classroom. She learned the art of time management and became better organized with her studies. Jaclyn also put in extra time in study hall working on assignments, studying for tests and writing papers. In the Fall 2013 semester, Jaclyn had her highest GPA ever as a student at ASU and finished with a 3.33. Her commitment to do better in school definitely paid off. Jaclyn will graduate in the Spring of 2014 with a degree in Sociology.