Forensic Biology Major Rachel Stanchek receives academic athletic award

Rachel Stanchek, a rising senior Forensic Biology major, was recently recognized with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference's Women's Elite 26 Award. This annual recognition goes to one athlete from each sport in the GMAC competing at the conference championship with the highest overall GPA. Rachel was recognized in Women's Swimming and Diving, out competing nominees from 12 other schools in the conference.

Rachel presenting at URCA 2026

Rachel writes that: "It's really cool to be recognized for this, and it was not something I expected to win. In my opinion, swimming is a sport where student athletes usually take a lot of pride in academics as well as athletics. I've always been a school comes first person, so being able to prioritize my academics while still competing at the collegiate level has been a huge learning curve but also something I'm really proud of. It's always nice to see hard work pay off, but the recognition is not something I expected."

"I am still focused on a career in forensic science. My goal is to become a crime scene investigator although I think careers in criminal investigations also sound interesting. This summer I'll be coaching while I also start work on writing my honors capstone. After I complete my degree, I plan to get a job hopefully in the forensics or criminal justice field (still looking for different options!)."

Rachel recently presented her undergraduate research with AU faculty member Cindy Perkovich at our Spring URCA event.