The Online Reflector

By Staci Reafsnyder | Sports Editor

The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) named over 1,200 athletes from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II 2007-08 season to the GLVC All-Academic Team on June 6.

Of the 1,285 athletes honored, 133 of them were from the University of Indianapolis.

“I am elated at the number of athletes who were named to the GLVC All-Academic Team,” Director of Athletics Suzanne Willey said. “You couldn’t ask for more.”

According to Mitch Wigness, the assistant director of athletics for sports information, GLVC All-Academic Team athletes have to obtain a 3.0 cumulative.

Most sports fanatics with any ounce of talent would jump at the chance to take their game to a national or professional level. That’s just what former University of Indianapolis Greyhound Brandon Braboy has done, though he may have more than an ounce of heat behind his fastball.

Shortly after finishing his junior year at UIndy and ending his first season pitching for the Greyhound baseball team, Braboy was quickly scooped up by the New York Yankees.

As an 18th-round draft pick, Braboy signed with the team in June and currently pitches for the Staten Island Yankees, a Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The turn of events in his baseball career is not lost on Braboy.

“I was really excited when I heard I was drafted. I’ve worked hard for this all my life,” Braboy said.

Although the news of the Yankees draft pick generated a buzz of excitement around the athletic department, very few can admit to genuine surprise.

“Brandon was a standout. There were professional scouts at almost every game targeting his pitch,” said Director of Athletics Suzanne Willey.

Although short-lived, Braboy’s baseball career at UIndy was marked by achievements. Not only was he named to the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference First Team, but he led the conference in innings pitched and strikeouts.

“Brandon just did his job. He was a great leader and model student, set a good example and displayed discipline,” said head baseball coach Gary Vaught. “By the end of the season he was pitching in the 94 to 97 miles per hour range.”

The speed that Braboy brought to the mound prompted interest in professional league scouts, who were regulars at Greyhound games.

“I used to be an infielder, so my arm strength is probably what caught the eye of a scout,” Braboy said. “It wasn’t until I started pitching for UIndy and scouts came to the games that I seriously considered professional baseball.”

Braboy has started pitching in numerous games for the Staten Island Yankees and he is enjoying the start of his professional career. He was even named the New York-Penn League Pitcher of the Week at the end of July.

“It’s great. My first game went really well. There is always about 9,000 people in the stands,” Braboy said. “It’s fun being around the team. They’re a bunch of good guys, and we’re in first place.”

Braboy is not the first UIndy athlete to try a professional career. A few former Greyhound basketball players are currently playing in Europe. Willey assures, however, that the athletic department’s goal is to graduate students, not produce professional athletes.

“Athletics are just the icing on the cake at UIndy. The educational mission is first. We want to continue higher graduation rates, G.P.A.s that are higher on average than the general student population’s and increase retention,” Willey said.

The emphasis on education is applied to Braboy’s future as well.

“I’m excited for him, of course, but I’d love to have him back. We want everyone to graduate and get a degree,” Vaught said.

Braboy, however, can’t help but follow his love of the game.

“I’ve played since I was six. My goal is to try to make it to the big league. Even if I couldn’t have a career in baseball I’d want to work with a professional team or coach,” Braboy said. “All I know is sports.”

“Academics are always No. 1; 99.9 percent of the time students are primarily coming to [UIndy] to study and they are athletes on the side,” Willey said.

Among the teams at UIndy, women’s track and field topped other teams with a total of 18 athletes honored. Of the 18 students, former UIndy student LeAnn Sarka was one of the many athletes selected. Sarka had competed in the NCAA finals in the 2007 cross-country season, where she placed 72 out of 189.

Women’s tennis and golf teams both had all team members named to the squad.

The men’s soccer team and track and field teams received 15 honorees to post the most awards among UIndy male sports.

“I think the entire administrative staff is excited about the academic accomplishments of our athletes,” Wigness said.

Though UIndy only had a few sports compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), the football and swimming teams added an additional 40 athletes to the All-Academic Team.

This was the second year in a row that UIndy was one of the top schools to have athletes named to the GLVC All-Academic Team, according to Wigness. Surrounding schools and foes of UIndy also had many athletes designated.Lewis University tied with UIndy with 133 students. While Bellarmine University
had 125 athletes honored and Rockhurst

University had 123 participants elected into the GLVC All-Academic Team as well.