WEXFORD, Pa. – Senior student-athletes Matt Beuermann (Tasmania, Australia/) and Raquel McDonald (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) will represent Thiel College at the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Scholar-Athlete of the Year Banquet, which will take place Thursday at The Chadwick in Wexford, Pa.
 
Beuermann graduated with summa cum laude and departmental honors on May 7 with bachelor's degrees in communication studies and English. He minored in gender studies, was one of his class valedictorians, and received the Dean's Key at commencement as an eight-semester Dean's List student.
 
Beuermann played basketball in 2021-22. He competed in track in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and was also a member of the cross country team in 2022. He finished 136^th at the 2022 NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships in 28:54, the fastest time for a Tomcat at regionals since 2016. He also helped the cross country squad earn a Team Academic Award from USTFCCCA.
 
Beuermann ran a leg on the distance medley relay team, which finished second at the PAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in February in a new school record time of 10:46.37. He was also part of the 4x400-meter relay team, which finished eighth in 3:39.43.
 
On campus, Beuermann was involved with The Bell, The Phoenix and The Lectern. He served as a student employee for Thiel's Office of Communications and Marketing and was a writing lab consultant for the Learning Commons. He is a member of the following honors societies: Chi Alpha Sigma, Omicron Delta Kappa, Lambda Sigma and Sigma Tau Delta.
 
Beuermann will continue his athletic career in 2023-24 while pursuing an M.B.A. at Thiel College.
 
McDonald graduated with summa cum laude and departmental honors on May 7 with bachelor's degrees in criminal justice studies, psychology and sociology. She minored in Spanish, was one of her class valedictorians, and received the Dean's Key at commencement as an eight-semester Dean's List student.
 
A member of the Dietrich Honors Institute, McDonald was named a Thiel College Student of the Month in March of 2022. She is a member of the following honors societies: Lambda Sigma Rho, Alpha Kappa Delta, Psi Chi, Chi Alpha Sigma, Alpha Chi and the National Society of Leadership and Success.
 
A four-time member of the PAC Academic Honor Roll, McDonald was named to the 2022 Academic All-America Volleyball Second Team, as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), in December. She was a CSC All-District First Team selection in 2022 and a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District First Team selection in 2021.
 
A three-time All-PAC honoree, McDonald earned First Team accolades in 2022 when she helped Thiel secure the top seed in the PAC Championship Tournament for the first time in school history. She went on to be named to the PAC All-Tournament Team after the Tomcats played in the title match for the fourth time in program history.
 
A member of Thiel's concert band, McDonald served as a peer note-taker and a peer tutor for the Learning Commons. She will soon begin working as a behavioral health technician at George Junior Republic in Grove City. She also plans to attend graduate school for forensic and legal psychology.
 
The PAC launched its Scholar-Athlete of the Year Banquet in 2014 to recognize its student-athletes for their academic success, athletic achievements and community service efforts.