Four Owls Named AAC Scholar-Athletes of the Year

IRVING – Four Rice athletes were honored as American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year with Max Fiedler (men's basketball), Shaun Kerry (men's indoor track and field), Imogen Meers (women's swimming) and Sam Welsh (men's outdoor track and field) all earning the honor for their respective sports, AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti announced Wednesday morning.

Fiedler earns Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the fourth consecutive year, the first three as a member of Conference USA, becoming the first student-athlete in school history to earn the honor four straight years. It is his third academic honor this year, having also earned CSC Academic All-District and Third Team Academic All-America honors.

This past season, Fiedler averaged 9.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He was second in the AAC in rebounding, third in field goal percentage (.663), assists (169), assist/turnover ratio (2.25), and sixth in double-doubles (9) and defensive rebounds (5.5), while leading the league in offensive rebounds (3.7). His field goal percentage of 66.3% is the third-highest in school history and the 169 assists are the fourth-most in a season in school history.

The Indialantic, Fla., native finished his career as Rice's all-time leader in rebounds (1,144), assists (571), assist/turnover ratio (1.81), field goal percentage (65.8%), games played (148) and games started (135), while also placing second in blocks (125), eighth in field goals made (601), and 14th in scoring (1,383). He's just the second player in school history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and is the only player in NCAA Division I history to record 1,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals. Last year at UTSA, he became just the second player in school history with a triple-double, recording 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. In his career, he averaged 9.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Kerry earns his first Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the men's indoor track and field team. This is his fifth academic honor this season, being named a Rice University Scholar Athlete, 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award and being named a CSC Academic All-District and Second Team All-American. He is also a three-time member of the CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll and a three-time CUSA Academic Medalist.

He was the runner-up in the hammer throw at the AAC Outdoor Championships and finished third in the weight throw at the AAC indoor meet. Kerry was the 2023 CUSA hammer throw champion. He qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships this season in Eugene, Oregon, where he finished 19^th to earn Honorable Mention All-American honors. Kerry ranks second all-time in the hammer throw and third in the weight throw at Rice.

Meers earns her first Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor for women's swimming. She is a three-time member of the CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll and was a CUSA Academic Medalist during the 2020-21 season.

This season, Meers was a three-time AAC event champion, winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyles and the 100-yard backstroke. She scored 126 points at the meet, including more podium finishes in the 400-yard freestyle and medley relays. Meers qualified for the CSCAA National Invitational for the second straight year. Meers was the CUSA Freshman Swimmer of the Year and Rice Co-Female Newcomer of the Year during the 2020-21 season.

Welsh earns his first Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor for the men's outdoor track and field team. He was also named a Rice University Honor Athlete this season and was a USTFCCCA All-Academic and a Rice University FAR Academic Honor Roll honoree last season.

This season, Welsh won the discus title at the AAC Championships while also finishing sixth in the shot put. He also qualified for the NCAA West Prelims for the second consecutive year. A season ago, he won both the discus and shot put titles at the CUSA Championships, setting a CUSA record in the discus. Welsh ranks second all-time in the discus, fifth in indoor shot put and seventh in outdoor shot put at Rice.

Welsh was a 2024 Olympic Trial qualifier in discus.

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