April 30, 2009
Athletics: Olivia Arnold, Brad Samsa Named Athletes of the Year
    Senior swimmer Olivia Arnold and senior offensive lineman Brad Samsa were named The Vindicator/Youngstown State Athletes of the Year on Thursday night at the 22nd Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet in the Kilcawley Center.
    Also being honored at the event were recipients of YSU endowed athletic scholarships and  student-athletes who have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00-or-higher.
    Samsa was named an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association as a senior, was a three-time all-conference selection, a three-time academic all-league pick and following his senior year was tabbed an FCS Academic All-Star and a National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society member.
    During his decorated career, he started the final 38 games on the offensive line. Whatever the Penguins line needed him to do, he did. Throughout his career he started at center, guard and tackle, showing his versatility on the front line. In his final three seasons, Samsa had the highest overall grade on the offensive line.
    As a senior, Samsa was named to the AFCA All-America squad. He was a third-team All-America selection by The Associated Press while being tabbed an honorable-mention pick by The Sports Network. In 2008, he started the first nine games at center before moving to right guard for the final three contests. He was credited with a team-high 751 snaps played for the year. Samsa graded out at 81 percent for the campaign, also a team high.
    Down the stretch, Samsa played his best football, grading above 83 percent in the final four games and five of the last six. He was a first-team Missouri Valley Football Conference pick and earned honorable-mention all-league academic accolades. He was selected as a team captain prior to the season.
    Arnold (Rutherglen, Australia) is the first swimmer in school history to take female honors as the Vindicator Female Athlete of the Year.
    From her freshman year through her recent senior campaign, Arnold lowered her best times by more than one minute in the 1,650-yard freestyle, 30 seconds in the 1,000 free and 15 seconds in the 500 free. After posting middle-of-the-record-book marks in those three events early in her career, she left YSU as the school record holder in all three events.
    In the 1,650, her best time of 17:11.30 is 22 seconds ahead of second, in the 1,000 her 10:21.05 is 16 seconds under the nearest time and her 500 time is five seconds faster than anyone. In YSU history she ranks second in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:29.04), second in the 400 IM (4:36.82), third in the 200 IM (2:14.16) and fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:10.13).
    Her improved times were followed by an impressive move up the league standings as well.
    During her senior campaign in 2008-09, Arnold placed third in 1,650 and fifth in the 1,000 at the Horizon League Championships. In the 500, she placed seventh. At this year’s HL meet, she earned 42 points for the Guins, who finished fifth as a team, scoring more than 300 points for the first time in school history. She also was part of the 800-yard freestyle relay squad that set another school mark at the league meet.
    Throughout the year, she put up impressive finishes. Arnold won the 1,000 in eight meets and on five occasions lowered her school mark in the event. Three times she broke her own 1,650 mark, and, during the year, she broke a nearly 25-year-old record in the 500 free. In the fall semester she kept up the pace out of the pool as well, earning a 4.00 grade-point average.
    Alfreeda Goff, Associate Commissioner of the Horizon League was on hand to present four awards. The swimming and diving team, with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.37, and the men's golf squad, with a GPA of 3.26, received "Raise Your Sights" team awards for their performance in the classroom.
    The women's basketball program earned the school's HL Community Outreach Award while YSU Associate Athletic Director Rick Love received the Sportsmanship Award.
    The YSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented leadership awards to a top female and male student-athlete. Women's basketball senior Kelsey Gurganus was the female recipient while football player Mychal Savage  was the male recipient.