ADRIAN, Mich. -- Each academic year, the Siena Heights University Athletic Department awards the Thomas Emmet Sr. Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award to both a male and a female junior student-athlete. This year's recipients were Kole Murlin (Football, Celina, Ohio) and Lauren Southworth (women's soccer, Okemos, Mich.).
The award is given to student-athletes who excel in the classroom and the athletic arena and is named after Thomas Emmet Sr., a Siena Heights College employee. SHU coaches nominate and select the winners and those selected receive a scholarship.
Murlin is an education major with a focus on special education. During his time at Siena Heights, Murlin has only had two grades that were not A's. He was a standout special teams player his freshman year before moving to lead the SHU defense as a linebacker the last two seasons. "Kole solidified himself as the leader of not only our defense, but our football team," said head coach Matt Kohn. "The way he led his teammates during these challenging times was unprecedented."
Murlin was named NAIA All-America Honorable Mention and Co-MSFA Mideast League Defensive Player of the Year this season. He is a two-time MSFA Mideast First-Team Defense selection.
Southworth is a nursing major. She has earned all A's and one B during her time as a student at Siena Heights University. She is a leader on the Siena Heights defense and missed the season due to injury this year. "Lauren has a tremendous amount of intrinsic motivation and is always willing to go that extra mile to be the best," said head coach Scott Oliver. "She is a great leader of our defensive group and really gets the team in and out of drills. The team suffered from her absence because of injury this season."
Southworth was an NAIA Scholar-Athlete in 2019 and a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) All-Academic team member for the 2020-21 season.
For a complete list of Thomas Emmet Sr. Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award winners click here.
