Mallory Hull (Morse Bluff) and Logan Paban (Columbus) are the Peru State Bobcat Athletes of the Month for July as announced recently by athletic director Steve Schneider.
Both Hull and Paban are being honored for the fact that they were recently selected by the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Awards Committee as the HAAC’s nominees for the NAIA’s A.O. Duer Award. This award is named in honor of the NAIA’s former executive secretary for his 26 years of service to the Association. The award is presented annually to a junior men’s and women’s student-athlete in any sport who has excelled academically, as well as, athletically.
The selection for the national award will be based on scholarship, character, and playing ability with the student-athlete having an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.75 on a 4.00 scale. Documentation for such, including a minimum of five letters of recommendation attesting to the character, citizenship, and leadership qualities of the nominee were required.
Hull was selected by Peru State and eventually by the conference as she not only meets the grade point average requirement, but also earned HAAC Second Team All-Conference as a libero for the Bobcat volleyball team. In addition, Hull is very active on the Peru State campus.
Currently with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Paban, too, is very busy on campus. In addition, last season, Paban earned HAAC All-Conference honorable mention.
AD Schneider noted that Hull and Paban were the logical choices for the July recognition. Schneider said, “Mallory and Logan, in their first two years at Peru State, have made an impact on their respective teams, not only as athletes, but true student-athletes. They are definitely role models for all student-athletes, as well as, Peru State’s general student population, as they are doing what they are supposed to be doing as college students!”
