University of South Dakota junior distance runner Jeff Mettler has been named The Summit League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award is the most prestigious individual honor given by the league.
Mettler becomes USD's first honoree of the award in the Coyotes' second year as a Summit League member. He has a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) as a kinesiology and sports science major with a minor in Spanish. He is currently serving a summer internship at CATZ Sports Performance Center in Pasadena, Calif.
The Eureka graduate is a three-season star at South Dakota. He placed second at the league's cross country championship in the fall, was named the league's Indoor Track Championship MVP while leading his team to a Summit League championship in the winter, and was a steeplechase champion and NCAA West Region qualifier in the spring.