Annville, PA (April 27, 2011) – Seniors Kenny Engel and Emily Rau of the DeSales University golf and women's track & field team were honored on Wednesday morning by the MAC Conference office being named the 2011 Golf and Women's Track & Field Scholar-Athletes. The MAC picks one deserving senior student-athlete from each sport combining candidates from institutions in both the Freedom and Commonwealth conferences weighing academics and athletics excellence as well as the nominee's involvement within the community.

The MAC Scholar-Athlete award started during the 2000-01 academic year and for the first five years was given to just one student-athlete per season and per gender. In 2005-06 the MAC Conference moved to naming a Scholar-Athlete in each sport. Engel and Rau become the ninth and tenth DeSales student-athletes to earn the award and the first athletes on the golf or women's track & field team to earn the honor.

To be nominated you must be a senior and must have at least a 3.20 GPA or higher. Points are awarded to each nominee based on their cumulative GPA and their athletics excellence, while also factoring in the nominee's involvement within the community.

A three-time member of the MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll this spring, Engel currently carries a 3.40 cumulative GPA as a double major in sport management and accounting, while Rau, a seven-time member of the MAC Fall, Winter, and Spring Academic Honor Roll, carries a 3.90 cumulative GPA as an English major.

Engel ranks second on the Bulldogs this season with a scoring average of 85.4 entering this weekend's Freedom Conference Golf Championships. He has a season and career-low score of 73 this season and has placed among the top 20 at the Freedom Conference Golf Championships twice in his career including T-13th as a sophomore and T-19th as a junior.

Rau has excelled primarily as a high jumper as a four-year member of the track & field team. She has earned First-Team honors (1st-3rd place finish) in the high jump once and Second-Team honors (4th-6th place finish) three times at the MAC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships entering her final outdoor championship meet in early May. In addition she has been a member of four relay teams that have finished among the top eight at the MAC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships throughout her career.

Engel and Rau join men's soccer standout Aaron Gildner and men's track & field standout Mike Curry as DSU's four MAC Scholar-Athletes this season, the most the Bulldogs have had since the award started honoring one in each sport in 2005-06.