Ole Miss Student-Athletes Named Who’s Who

A record 11 Ole Miss student-athletes were chosen to represent the University of Mississippi on the 2015-16 Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges.  The student-athletes were honored at the induction ceremony Friday afternoon at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

Each year the University of Mississippi, along with various other colleges and universities, recognize those students who have made considerable contributions to their campus in a variety of areas, including scholarship, leadership and student activities.

The 11 Ole Miss student-athletes on the list includes Melissa Capocaccia, Maddie Friedmann, Gretchen Harknett, Jenn Miller and Georgia Russell of women’s soccer, Natalie Martinez and Madi Osias of softball, Allie Robbins from women’s tennis, Abby Newton from women’s golf, Mary Alex England of Track and Field and Brady Bramlett from baseball.

“Our students who compete in college athletics here at Ole Miss never cease to amaze me,” athletics director Ross Bjork said. “The large groups of Rebels who have earned this distinction represent the best of the best and I’m not surprised this particular group has achieved this level of recognition. They truly know what it’s like to compete at the highest level in athletics and in the classroom. Congrats to everyone.”

“We are extremely proud of the 11 student-athletes who are being honored as part of an elite group of students on this campus,” senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development Derek Cowherd said.  “Our records indicate that this is the largest number of student-athletes in at least five years who’ve had this honor bestowed upon them. This is a testament to the hard work and resiliency of these student-athletes; true to form, some of them were competing at the time of the ceremony and were not able to participate.”

Bramlett is in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with baseball, where he pitched the opening game of the Coastal Carolina Tournament against Ball State. Robbins and the women’s tennis team hosted Georgia in their SEC opener Friday. Martinez and Osias were at the softball complex where the Rebels are hosting the Red and Blue Classic this weekend.

Below are highlights of each honoree.

Brady Bramlett – R-Jr. – Baseball – Bartlett, Tenn.

Major: Biological Science

• Rebels ace on the mound

• Serves as the Vice-Chair of the NCAA National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

• Representative on the NCAA Strategic Vision and Planning Committee, a subcommittee of the NCAA Division I Council

• Representative on the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee

• Represented the SEC at the NCAA Convention in January

• One of three student-athletes from the SEC who voted on proposed governance rule changes under the NCAA’s Division I autonomy process

• President of Ole Miss SAAC

• Sings in the university choir

Melissa Capocaccia – Jr. – Soccer – Memphis, Tennessee

Major: Communication Sciences/Disorders

• 51 starts already on the Rebel defense entering her senior campaign

• Member of the Ole Miss defense that posted nine shutouts in 2015

• One of top returning players entering 2016

Mary Alex England – Jr. – Track and Field – Cary, North Carolina

Major: Accountancy

• 2015 All-SEC second team in cross country

• Placed sixth in the 5000m at the 2015 SEC Indoor Championships

• 2014 Drake Relays champion in the 10,000m

• School record holder in the outdoor 10,000m (34:48.66)

• Ranks top five in school history in the outdoor 1500m and 5000m and the indoor 5000m

• Two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Award

• Three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll

Maddie Friedmann – Sr. – Soccer – St. Louis, Missouri

Major: Broadcast Journalism

• Key member of the Ole Miss backline in her Rebel career, starting 81 matches, tied for sixth-most of any player in program history

• Three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection

• Part of the Rebel senior class that tied for the most wins of any senior class with 51 over the four-year span

Gretchen Harknett – Jr. – Soccer – Memphis, Tennessee

Major: Biochemistry

• 65 starts in her 3-year career thus far with 10 goals

• Tied for team lead in assists with seven in 2015

• SEC All-Freshman selection

Natalie Martinez – Sr. – Softball – Chino Hills, California

Major: Broadcast Journalism

• One of the senior leaders for Rebel softball in 2016

• Played in more than 130 games in her four-year career with more than 70 starts

•Tied school record for RBI in a game last season with six vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

• Ole Miss’ everyday designated player in 2016

Jennifer Miller – Sr. – Soccer – St. Louis, Missouri

Major: Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Drew 71 starts as a Rebel in her four-year career, tying for team lead in assists with seven in 2015

• Served as team’s tri-captain as a junior

• Part of the Rebel senior class that tied for the most wins of any senior class with 51 over the four-year span

Abby Newton – Sr. – Women’s Golf – Katy, Texas

Major: Engineering

• One of Ole Miss’ top golfers since her arrival

• Tied for the lowest round in program history with a 65 this fall at the CSU Fall Invitational, where she also set a program record for the lowest two rounds with a two round score of 70-65 — 135

• Earned medalist honors at the FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate, becoming Ole Miss’ first medalist since 2010

• Owns three career top-5 finishes

Madi Osias – Sr. – Softball – Tustin, California

Major: Managerial Finance/Marketing

• Senior leader for the Rebels in the circle in 2016

• Fifth all-time in career home runs with 18; eighth all time in wins with 24

• Started in nearly 50 games in the circle in her Ole Miss career; nearly 90 career appearances

Allie Robbins – Sr. – Women’s Tennis – Cummings, Ga.

Major: Engineering

• Three-year letterwinner for the Rebels

• Has won 21 matches during her career in singles and 17 in doubles, including a 6-0 record in dual matches in singles

• Has helped lead the Rebels to three straight NCAA appearances

• Three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll

• Member of the University Honor Roll every semester

Georgia Russell – Sr. – Soccer – Tupelo, Miss.

Major: Accountancy

• Played in 51 contests in her Rebel career, totaling two goals from the backline

• CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team Selection as a sophomore

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports 

Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…