CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Virginia Penner, a two-sport student-athlete at Austin Peay State University, received the prestigious Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Award representing both women's soccer and tennis. Six winners were selected by a vote of Faculty Athletic Representatives from the 21 finalists. The award is the highest individual honor given to an OVC student-athlete, given annually to three women and three male student-athletes.

Penner, a senior from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is a three-year starting midfielder for the Lady Govs soccer team and plays No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles for the tennis team. She's scored four career goals and one assist in 52 career games. However, her senior season was cut short due to a season-ending injury against Tennessee-Martin. Penner joined the tennis team in 2005 and has since earned 14 singles victories and 14 doubles victories while twice being named the team's most improved player.

In the classroom, her achievements have overshadowed the crowd. She carries a 3.95 grade-point-average in biology with a pre-physical therapy concentration. To begin the Fall semester, Penner was awarded the Perkins-Freeman Governors Club Scholarship which is given to the returning student-athlete with the highest GPA.
She also received the Ross Hinson Biology Pre-Physical Therapy Scholarship and the Kimbrough Scholarship.

In addition to being named the President's List, the Dean's List, the Athletic Directors Honor Roll and the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll multiple times, Penner earned an OVC Medal of Honor last season after recording a 4.0 GPA. She already this season is a third-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Information Director's of America (CoSIDA).

Her work in the community follows suit with participation in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Phi Kappa Phi honor society. She has done volunteer work with the Donnelly/Sheer Physical Therapy Clinic at NHC Nursing Home and the St. Rose Catholic Church.

The other 2007-08 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete winners are: Beth Boden of Tennessee Tech University (softball), Jake Byrne of Eastern Illinois University (men's basketball), Thomas Nelson of Tennessee Tech University (baseball), Joe Oliver of Eastern Kentucky University (baseball) and Sara Struve of Murray State University (soccer).