The Shippensburg University 2015-16 academic calendar was a year of countless successes for student-athletes.

The SU women’s volleyball team won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship for the first time in school history, the indoor and outdoor track-and-field teams both continued to dominate the PSAC, the SU swim team was extremely successful at the PSAC Championships and the football team narrowly missed a shot at the PSAC Championship, while the men’s and women’s basketball teams narrowly missed the PSAC Championship game.

In short, it was a fantastic year for SU’s sports teams.

With the year in the books, two athletes were recognized for their success on the field, as well as in the classroom. On April 25, at a dinner hosted by SU President Jody Harpster, Rikki Sargent, a member of the women’s swim team, and Ryan Zapoticky, the quarterback of the football team, were honored as the 2015-16 SU Student-Athletes of the Year.

Sargent, from Olney, Maryland, majored in psychology and minored in disability studies and graduated from SU at the conclusion of the academic year. She graduated with a 3.97 cumulative quality-point average (QPA).

“I can tell you that I was completely shocked because we have so many talented athletes,” Sargent said.

“I was not expecting to receive this recognition and it’s kind of the icing on the cake for me. I have been very successful academically and I knew that I had achieved my goals of getting into a great graduate program so it was a great way to end my athletic career. I have been swimming since I was 10 competitively, and it really means so much to me.”

In her senior season, Sargent added to her PSAC Top 3 collection, finishing third in the 200-yard individual medley, and a third-place team finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

In Sargent’s career, she swam 15 times as an individual at the PSAC Championships and posted a Top 10 finish each time. She also added points to 13 relays at the PSAC Championships in her career. She graduated as the SU record holder in both breaststroke events and in all three individual medley events.

“I’ve worked very hard in the classroom and in the pool, so to see it all pay off was almost a relief,” Sargent said. “Even though I worked so hard the last four years you never know and I was applying for a very competitive program so watching it all pay off was a relief. Now I am ready to just get started and to continue working towards my goals and achieving them.”

Sargent was accepted by Syracuse University where she will further her academic career. Sargent plans to further pursue social psychology and will teach psychology as well.

“I just got my teaching assistantship form so I am going to be teaching an introduction course to Psychology of Human Behavior so that will be very exciting and scary,” Sargent said. “I think that the first couple years will be mostly teaching and working on research, then I will get into my own certain projects.”

Sargent also expressed her teaching expectations once she arrives at Syracuse. She laughed about the challenges she will face and the size of the classes she will teach.

“I’m hoping it’s not a room of 150 people,” Sargent said laughing.

“I talked to a group of other graduate students when I was on my interview and I guess I’ll have an advisor for the course who oversees the course, but basically I’ll be walking in and be teaching. Hopefully I am okay. They say that it is scary, but they just make it work so hopefully its really not that bad.”

Sargent also wanted to thank numerous people at SU who helped her get to where she is today.

“I want to thank the athletic department for the recognition. They have been so helpful to me the last four years,” Sargent said.

“Bill (Morgal) has been wonderful with the write ups and he has made me cry on several occasions because I am not the type of person to acknowledge my successes and having him acknowledge them for me kind of gives me a different perspective and that has been absolutely amazing.”

Sargent also wanted to thank sports medicine for their support, both physically and psychologically.

“In the athletic department, Carrie, Jeff and Ashley have been really great as well. I know Carrie worked closely with me to help me apply for post-graduate scholarships this year, which we have still yet to hear about. They focus on athletics but they do so much more than that and I just wanted to acknowledge that,” Sargent said.

Last but certainly not least, Sargent spoke very highly of SU swim coach Tim Verge.

“My coach, Tim Verge, I don’t know where I would’ve been if he didn’t recruit me,” Sargent said.

“My senior year being at Shippensburg and being involved in the athletic department set me up for success academically as well, and I think that swimming was a vital part of my undergraduate career and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Getting this recognition is something that I never thought would’ve happened when I was graduating high school. It’s a little bittersweet to be leaving but I am so thankful for everything.”

Along with Sargent, Zapoticky was also honored. Zapoticky was a star at Seth Grove Stadium on Saturdays, terrorizing opposing defenses all season as a versatile quarterback for the Raiders. In 2015, he led SU to an 8-3 record.

“It’s a great honor. It’s a very prestigious award and it’s great to go against a bunch of other student athletes,” Zapoticky said. “I think there are about 400 other athletes at SU, maybe 400 plus, so it’s a great honor and a lot of great competition to go against. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my friends, my family, my coaches and my teammates.”

Zapoticky, a Dallas, Pennsylvania native, and biology major at SU, is concentrating in health professions and pre-med. He currently holds a 3.56 cumulative QPA, including a 3.975 semester grade-point average in the fall of 2015.

“That’s the whole reason we come to school, for academics, so I focus on getting my classwork done and football second,” Zapoticky said. “I’ve got plans to become either a dentist or a doctor so you really can’t slack on your grades there. I really make sure I get everything else there done before I go out on the field.”

Zapoticky led a high-powered Raider offense, setting multiple school records in the past season. He set the single-game rushing yards by a quarterback record with 138 yards, while also breaking the single-season rushing yards by a quarterback record with 561. He also became the first SU quarterback to have multiple games with both 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing. In 2015, Zapoticky threw for 2,345 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also added five more touchdowns on the ground.

Off the field, Zapoticky is involved in SU’s Apple Conference Committee—a group that is dedicated to assist SU athletes with substance abuse prevention, while promoting health for student-athletes and the athletics department administrators. He has also participated in numerous community service ventures, including the mentoring program at James Burd Elementary School, as well as some youth programs in his hometown.

For Sargent and Zapoticky, being recognized by SU was a huge honor. With Sargent’s athletic career ending, it showcased a perfect ending. For Zapoticky, it only shows a glimpse of what he will achieve, in the classroom and on the field.

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