Rachel White
INDIANAPOLIS (June 27, 2024) – Milwaukee volleyball student-athlete Ari Miller and Oakland baseball student-athlete Ian Cleary have been named the recipients of our Cecil N. Coleman Medals of Honor for the 2023-24 academic year.
Major Voices:
Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach
- “We are honored to recognize Ian and Ari as our 2023-24 Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipients. These extraordinary students have made a Major Impact in competition, in the classroom and in their campus communities and we extend our congratulations on their tremendous collegiate careers in our League.”
Medal of Honor Recipient Ari Miller
- “Thank you to the Horizon League for the recognition and honor of bestowing me this amazing award. I am truly honored and grateful to have been chosen for this award and could not be where I am now if not for my supportive family, teammates, coaches, and friends who have been in my corner since day one. I have been provided amazing and rewarding opportunities at Milwaukee, through the community, athletic department, academic curriculum, and on my teams. I was able to challenge myself, be involved in communities and clubs that inspire me, and learn numerous life lessons in my time at Milwaukee. I could not have imagined another college experience anywhere else, as I was able to show my passion to Milwaukee athletics and the city through the support that the department provided to me. The lessons I’ve learned as a student-athlete have given me confidence to believe in myself and instilled in me the understanding that a supportive, empathetic, and passionate work ethic is the true key to success in anything I do in life - professionally, personally, and in the community. Thanks again to the Horizon League for this prestigious award, and for the opportunities the conference has given to me through my time here.”
Medal of Honor Recipient Ian Cleary
- "It is an honor to receive this award from the Horizon League. My family and I cannot be more thankful to Oakland University and the Horizon League for providing the framework that has allowed me to find so much success over my last 5 years. I am excited to take the next step towards my dream career as a physician in the coming weeks, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has been involved in my journey thus far. Go Grizzlies!"
Oakland Baseball Head Coach Jordon Banfield
- "There couldn’t possibly be a better representative of the program we’ve built at Oakland than Ian Cleary. From not traveling during our first season together to being named captain, All-League and Academic All-American, Ian just kept working and represents everything that’s right about college sports. He’s deserving of everything that comes his way and will continue to excel in everything he does as he moves on to UM Medical School in the fall.
Dig Deeper:
- The Coleman Medal of Honor, first awarded in 1981, is the Horizon League’s most prestigious individual honor.
- The award is presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities.
- Miller is the 13th Milwaukee student-athlete to earn a Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor.
- She is MKE’s fourth overall and second consecutive women’s sport winner following Annie Guerrero last year.
- Cleary is Oakland’s fourth Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipient.
- He is the first Golden Grizzly to earn the honor since Connor Goetz and Madison Jones swept the awards in 2021-22.
- Miller completed her Health Care Administration undergraduate degree at Milwaukee before continuing her studies in the MBA program.
- Miller is a four-time member of the #HLVB All-Academic Team, a three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team selection and two-time Horizon League Fall Scholar-Athlete of the Season honoree.
- Cleary will attend the University of Michigan Medical School after earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Biomedical Sciences and a Graduate Certificate in Exercise Science from Oakland.
- He earned a Horizon League’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for next year and has also received an NCAA Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship.
- Cleary was Oakland’s first College Sports Communicators Third Team Academic All-American in 2023 and is a three-time #HLBASE All-Academic Team honoree and two-time HL Scholar-Athlete of the Season.
- Miller is the only student-athlete in #HLVB history to earn All-League First Team honors five times and departs as MKE’s program leader in kills (1,563), attacking percentage (.344), matches and sets played (135/499).
- Cleary posted a stellar season for the Golden Grizzlies in 2023, playing in 59 of the club’s 60 games and starting 55, slashing .305/.406/.456 with 17 doubles, a triple, 4 home runs, 41 RBIs and 7 stolen bases over 206 at-bats.
- Miller served as MKE’s SAAC President in 2023-24 and was a volleyball team captain for three seasons.
- She was involved in numerous community service projects on campus and in the community, including with Special Olympics and as a Riverside High School Volleyball Volunteer Mentor.
- Cleary held many leadership roles on campus including being a 3-year member of the leadership council for the baseball team, a 3-year member of Oakland University SAAC, a 2-year member of HL SAAC, a 2-year member of the Senate for Intercollegiate Athletics Committee and a 1-year student-athlete representative in head coaches’ meetings.
- Cleary also has extensive volunteer experience with Oakland University Autism Outreach Services (OUCARES), which provides an avenue for social interaction and growth for children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders.
- Candidates for the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor award must be seniors who have graduated or exhausted their eligibility and were participants in a Horizon League sponsored sport.
- Nominees must have a grade-point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 to be considered.
- Finalists for the Coleman Medal of Honor are below:
- Cleveland State – Thomas Lundin, swimming and diving and Jenna Deang, softball
- Detroit Mercy – Allison Sherman, cross country/track and field
- Green Bay – Tobias Jahn, men’s soccer and Tiffany Paalman, volleyball
- Milwaukee – Ari Miller, volleyball
- Northern Kentucky – Mickayla Kowalski, women’s soccer
- Oakland – Ian Cleary, baseball and Sydney Campbell, softball
- RMU – Elicia Moore, track and field
- Youngstown State – Morgan Cole, cross country/track and field
- View a list of all our Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipients here.
