Generals' Football Standout Tabbed for ODAC/Farm Bureau Honor

SALEM, Va. --- Washington and Lee football athlete, Greg Kurkis, is one of eight student-athletes from Old Dominion Athletic Conference member schools to earn a 2009 ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award during the fall athletic schedule.  Kurkis tied with Hampden-Sydney College's Josh Miller for the award.  Both were tabbed from a pool of nominees by a vote of each of the conference's sports information directors.

The ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar Athlete Award is given to a student-athlete in each of the conference's 22 sponsored sports.  Farm Bureau Insurance of Virginia is the presenter of each of the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards, forming a partnership with the ODAC to emphasize the NCAA Division III philosophy of the complete student-athlete experience.  To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore standing and have spent at least one full academic year at the nominating institution, must maintain at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, and must have participated in at least 50-percent of the team's events.

Kurkis, a junior offensive lineman from Roswell, Georgia, stars as a biochemistry major and was a WLU and ODAC scholar-athlete on the football team.  A 2008 and 2009 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District pick, Kurkis boasts a 4.083 grade point average.  He recently added another academic honor to his résumé with a selection to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team.

On the gridiron, Kurkis is a three-time All-ODAC Second Team performer and former ODAC Rookie of the Year.  Kurkis started all 10 games this fall and helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged 201.4 yards per game on the ground, good for 36th nationally.

"We are proud of the accomplishments of every one of our student-athletes," says ODAC commissioner Brad Bankston. "It is especially gratifying to be able to recognize those who personify the definition of ‘student-athlete' through these awards, and we are proud to be affiliated with Farm Bureau Insurance in this program."

For more information about the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards, visit the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.