University of Massachusets Athletics
Jake Smith Named The Spring Semester's Male Scholar-Athlete
May 08, 2013 | Men's Lacrosse
May 8, 2013
AMHERST, Mass. - Men's lacrosse senior defenseman Jake Smith was honored as the UMass Male Spring Scholar-Athlete with a ceremony held in conjunction with the weekly sports luncheon. Smith takes home the award during in his final semester after being named one of the two senior scholar-athletes on Monday.
Smith, a sport management major with a 3.889 cumulative GPA, led the Minutemen defense in his third year as a starter on the squad. Due to Smith's shutdown ability in protecting the UMass goal, the Minutemen sported the best penalty-kill percentage through the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with only 11 goals allowed in 46 man-up opportunities (.761) for the opposition.
Smith closed his career as the active leader in groundballs, 79 and caused turnovers, 54 and was named All-CAA First Team following his final campaign in recognition of his success on the field. The Medfield, Mass., native was a USILA All-America selection after the conclusion of his junior season in 2012 and was a consistent contributor to the close defense while serving as a starter during the past three years, recording at least 25 groundballs and 10 caused turnovers in each campaign.
Softball standout Katie Bettencourt was awarded the Spring Female Scholar-Athlete Award on Wednesday, May 1, as part of the athletic department's weekly sports luncheon.
