EWU students senior Mario Brown and sophomore Sarah Reiter have been awarded the Scholar-Athlete of the Month award.

Reiter said that she was very surprised to hear that she had won the Scholar-Athlete of the Month award.

“Honestly, my friend texted me that I won Student-Athlete of the Month, and I was like, ‘What?’ I really was just, surprised,” said Reiter. “But I was also happy.”

Reiter also said that it was because of a noticeable improvement in her running that she received receive this award.

“Last year was my first year at Eastern,” said Reiter. “I improved a lot by getting better times, placing higher and becoming more physically fit.”

One of Reiter’s goals for this year is to place in the top 10 at the conference meet in North Dakota. According to Reiter, it is the biggest conference tournament of the year and it is where all the schools in the Big Sky League come together to compete.

“I would like to publicly thank coach [Chris] Zeller,” said Reiter. “He helped me out a lot in cross country and helped me see running as fun. I would also like to thank the team for motivation and support.”

Zeller said Reiter won this award because she had great work ethic and is doing well in both the classroom and on the track.

Zeller added that Reiter is certainly a leader, which positively reflects on the rest of the team members who to strive for such a feat.

“She is a truly deserving person,” said Zeller. “Not only is she super gifted athletically and academically, she is a likeable person. She is exactly the type of person that you are excited to see.”

Brown said he felt amazement when he was told that he had received the Scholar-Athlete of the Month award.

“It surprised me,” said Brown. “I didn’t know how the award selection process worked, but I’ve always been one to stick to the books … I know that you can’t just be smart in the classroom, you also have to be smart out on the field and vice versa.”

Brown also said that coach Beau Baldwin is a great coach and that an athlete’s abilities on the football team start with Baldwin.

“He just creates a good vibe for all of us to play the game, and it goes to show that hard work pays off and to keep working,” said Brown. “I try to get better on and off the field day by day.”

Baldwin said Brown is an example of what the football program is trying to represent from Eastern’s athletic programs.

“He is the epitome of what you want in a student athlete,” said Baldwin. “He has played for all five years. … He does the right things in the weight room, and most importantly, he has consistently done the right thing in the classroom. He’s the total package.”

Brown said he thanks his family, friends, football team members, the other football coaches and his professors.

“It feels good to be a part of the team here at Eastern … every year, no matter who stays or who goes, it’s always a feeling of a brotherhood. That’s what I love about the team.”