Portland State seniors Kelsey Kahle and Tyrell Mara have each been named Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year for Portland State University. Kahle and Mara are among the top male and female student-athletes selected from each Big Sky school annually. Qualifying athletes are seniors with at least two years of competition and a grade point average of 3.2 or higher.
Kahle, from Aurora, OR, picked up another honor in what has been a banner career for the Viking basketball star. A double major in English and Secondary Education, she leaves her mark as possibly the greatest player in PSU history. She is a three-time first team All-Big Sky Conference selection, the 2008-09 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, and was a third team Academic All-American this season.
Kahle leaves Portland State with 11 school records, including being the Vikings' all-time leader in scoring and rebounding. She played a major role in the two best seasons at the Division level for the Viking women's program (22-9, 23-10 the last two years).
Kahle is also third all-time on the Big Sky Conference scoring list. She has been selected as Academic All-Big Sky Conference and Academic All-District three times in her career.
This spring Kahle joined the track and field team and became the team's top high jumper. She recorded the fourth-best high jump in school history (5'8 3/4"), and placed third at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships.
Mara, a member of the men's basketball team from White Rock, British Columbia, has graduated with a degree in Business Administration: General Management. Although he has one year of eligibility at Portland State remaining, he will move on to an MBA program at a Canadian university and complete his basketball career.
In 2008-09, Mara earned Academic All-Big Sky Conference honors. He was part of the best two seasons in Portland State basketball history as a member of two NCAA Tournament teams. The Vikings were 23-10 each of the last two years. For his career, Mara played in 93 games, starting 15, and shot 38% from three-point range.
Eastern Washington
Marcus Walker, Football, Pullman, Wash., Interdisciplinary Studies
Bonnie Berscheid, Women's Track & Field, Priest River, Idaho, Management
Idaho State
Matt Stucki, Men's Basketball, Pocatello, Idaho, Management
Michelle Grohs, Women's Basketball, Salmon, Idaho, Psychology
Montana
Jordan Hasquet, Men's Basketball, Missoula, Mont., Information Services
Jade Roskam, Volleyball, Helena, Mont., Mathematics
Montana State
Jim Verlanic, Football, Anaconda, Mont., Cell Biology/Neuroscience
Elisabeth Driscoll, Women's Track & Field, Bozeman, Mont., Mechanical Engineering
Northern Arizona
Morten Bostrom, Men's Cross Country/T&F, Helsinki, Finland, Geographic Information Science
Ali Carter, Women's Golf, Phoenix, Ariz., Elementary Education
Northern Colorado
Ryan Johnson, Wrestling, Colorado Springs, Colo., Marketing/Applied Statistics
Megan Bellendir, Women's Soccer, Broomfield, Colo., Language Pathology
Portland State
Tyrell Mara, Men's Basketball, White Rock, B.C., General Management
Kelsey Kahle, Women's Basketball/T&F, Aurora, Ore., English/Secondary Education
Sacramento State
Juan Gamboa, Football, San Jose, Calif., Communication Studies
Sarah Howard, Women's Soccer, Chino, Calif., Communication Studies
Weber State
JD Folsom, Football, Salmon, Idaho, Zoology
Hayley McCoy, Women's Soccer, Richland, Wash., Zoology
