Ohio Northern senior Tessa Pitcovich (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Month for June.
Pitcovich has earned All-OAC status in track and field five times in her career, including four times this season. She placed second in the 5,000 meters and third in the 3,000 meters at the 2022 OAC Indoor Championships and had finishes of second and third in the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters, respectively, at the 2022 OAC Outdoor Championships.
She closed her senior season by qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships meet where she placed 17th in the 10,000 meters.
Pitcovich also ranks in the top four in school history with her best times in five events, including the outdoor 5,000 meters (2nd, 17:37.72), 10,000 meters (2nd, 36:08.18) and 3,000 meters (4th, 10:40.10) and indoor 3,000 meters (3rd, 10:14.14) and 5,000 meters (3rd, 17:36.37).
She has shined in cross country, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2019 and 2021. A three-time All-OAC and two-time All-Great Lakes Region honoree in cross country, Pitcovich currently holds the fourth-fastest time (22:08) in program history for a 6,000-meter course and was named the All-Ohio Female Runner of the Year for Division III in 2021. She capped her senior season as the recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships.
"Tessa is one of the most talented female distance runners to come through ONU and does so all while holding a perfect GPA," ONU track and field and cross country head coach Jason Maus said. "In the fall, she had the highest GPA of anyone at the NCAA cross country meet, which is a true testament to how well she manages success both in competition and in the classroom."
An accounting major, Pitcovich has served in such leadership posts as the president of Beta Alpha Psi, treasurer of Women in Business and CFO for Polar Merchandise, LLC. She has also been a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, Beta Gamma Sigma and the Dean's Advisory Council.
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