June 17, 2025
Ferris State golfer Kamryn Shannon, tennis player Erik Kovacs earn GLIAC Commissioner’s Award for academic, athletic excellence
Ferris State University golfer Kamryn Shannon and tennis player Erik Kovacs earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner's Award recipients for success in the classroom and on the field.
The awards are presented annually after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes of junior, senior or graduate school status that excel both in academics and in competition. All must carry at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average and be a key starter or reserve on their teams.
Shannon, a Jackson resident, is a member of the women’s golf team. The junior is a Sports Communications major. Kovacs is a native of Toronto, Canada. The junior is a Criminal Justice major.
Ferris State, Grand Valley State University, and Wayne State University were the only institutions to have multiple student-athletes represented for the spring season.
Since the awards were first presented in 2007, the Bulldogs have had 93 student-athletes be recognized among the league's best, which ranks among the most of any school in the conference.
Shannon led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time in 16 years this past season. The three-year letter-winner tied for seventh individually in the NCAA DII East Regional Championships as the Bulldogs' highest finisher and placed 80th overall at the NCAA DII National Championships.
Shannon also recorded a top 10 finish at the GLIAC Championships as the Bulldogs earned runner-up honors. The all-region standout garnered All-GLIAC First Team recognition and earned GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team recognition this campaign.
Shannon shot a school-record tying 68 score in the final round of the Gilda's Club Laker Fall Invite and earned her first collegiate win by capturing Ferris State’s fall home invitational at the Katke Golf Course.
Kovacs claimed All-GLIAC First Team recognition this past season while helping the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Division II Tournament.
He ranked among the league's top performers this season garnered GLIAC Player of the Week recognition. Kovacs also was named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team and earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District laurels.
He posted a 14-6 overall doubles mark at the number one flight in the Bulldog lineup and also won 11 singles matches at the top three spots in the Ferris State lineup. Kovacs lost only one regular-season conference match at the top doubles spot this year.