IRVING, TEXAS – Old Dominion University senior swimmer Mackenzie Payment was named the Conference USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s swimming, the league announced on Tuesday.
A native of Powder Spring, Ga., Payment earned her degree in May in mechanical engineering. At the ODU All Sports banquet in April, she received the Wilkins-Howard Scholar Athlete Award given to a graduating male and female student-athlete with the highest grade point average. Payment finished her career with a 3.93 GPA.
The C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year awards are presented to the top student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport, determined by a votes of the league’s 14 FARs. The award is based on academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service. Scholar-athletes were selected from C-USA’s full-time and affiliate institutions in 19 sports (combining indoor and outdoor track & field).
2015-16 SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD WINNERS:
| Sport | Award Winner |
| Baseball | Brett Lashley, FAU/Chase Boster, Marshall |
| Men's Basketball | Nick Norton, UAB |
| Women's Basketball | Kendall Noble, WKU |
| Men's Cross Country | Bryce McAndrew, North Texas |
| Women's Cross Country | Alexandra Phares, Marshall |
| Football | Lee McNeil, Charlotte |
| Men's Golf | Cory Churchman, North Texas |
| Women's Golf | Ellinor Haag, WKU |
| Men's Soccer | Jeffrey Torda, South Carolina # |
| Women's Soccer | Claire Emslie, FAU |
| Softball | Morgan Zerkle, Marshall |
| Women's Swimming and Diving | Mackenzie Payment, Old Dominion |
| Men's Tennis | Jordi Massalle Ferrer, Charlotte |
| Women's Tennis | Katherine Ip, Rice |
| Men's Track and Field | Connor Bey, North Texas |
| Women's Track and Field | Belle MacFarlane * |
| Volleyball | Ally Kiekover, Marshall |