AIB names Eley, Howard and Firmento athletes of the year

The AIB College of Business Athletics Department honored student-athletes at its Year-End Celebration May 8, recognizing academic performances as well as athletic accomplishments during the 2012-2013 season.

Basketball player Brandon Eley of Zearing (Iowa) is Male Athlete of the Year, and Female Athlete of the Year is basketball player Megan Howard of Elkhart (Iowa). Soccer player Renato Firmento of Sao Jose dos Campos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) was named Academic Student-Athlete of the Year.

Eley, a sophomore majoring in Business Administration and Leadership, received Midwest Collegiate Conference First-Team All-Conference honors. He was ranked in the top 10 in the conference in 10 categories, leading the conference in points per game (18.8), total steals (95), steals per game (3.1), total minutes (1,079) and minutes per game (34.8). He also led the nation in total steals, and his steals-per-game mark ranked second nationally.

Eley also led the team with 6.8 rebounds per game (fifth in the MCC), 76.0 free-throw percentage (fourth), 0.77 blocks per game (fifth) and 5.6 defensive rebounds per game (third). He was second on the team with 2.4 assists per game (10th in the MCC).

“Brandon is a multidimensional athlete, leader and teammate,” said AIB men’s basketball coach Cory Jenkins. “He is the type of student-athlete who is always willing to go the extra mile.  Brandon’s efforts and rapport make him very deserving of this honor.”

Howard, a junior majoring in Business Administration, received MCC Honorable-Mention All-Conference honors. She led the Eagles in scoring, finishing the 2012-2013 campaign with 11.6 points per game and ranking ninth in the MCC. Howard also led the team and the league with 90 total steals and 3.2 per contest, ranking 13^th and eighth in the nation, respectively.

From the floor, she shot 35.5 percent for 14th in the conference, and from the line she was at 86.0 percent, good for third in the MCC and seventh nationally. Howard averaged 9.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game over 83 career games at AIB.

“Megan has been instrumental in our team success,” said Keith Coleman, AIB Athletics Director and women’s basketball head coach. “She is a leader for the team and is always the first one to practice and the last to leave. I think this award is a direct reflection of her efforts.”

Firmento, a freshman majoring in Business Administration with a focus in Sales and Marketing, has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. He is fluent in three languages and is working toward becoming an Academic All-American.

Firmento scored the game-winning goal in the soccer program’s debut game. A true AIB supporter, he attends every sporting event and cheers all things AIB. 

“I'm extremely proud of Renato,” said AIB men’s soccer coach Brandon Ermels. “I can't think of a better person to have received the honor. Renato is an extraordinarily talented athlete with exceptional discipline, commitment and dedication to his studies. He exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete. He is involved in numerous extracurricular activities, and I am excited to see what he is able to accomplish at AIB over the next three years.”

Coleman also recognized the nine All-Conference athletes, three NAIA-Daktronics athletes and 47 student-athletes with GPAs of 3.5 and above.

“What an impressive group of student-athletes we have here at AIB,” Coleman said.  “The athletes’ average GPA is a 3.2, which speaks to the fact that we have all-around student-athletes leading the way for our programs.”

For more information on AIB athletics, go to www.aib-eagles.com.