PROVIDENCE, R.I. –  Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced that Cincinnati pole vaulter Adrian Valles has been chosen as the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by The American’s faculty athletic representatives and is presented on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance.
 
Valles, a graduate student from Pamplona, Spain, also was named the recipient of this award in 2017. He will receive a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.
 
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year also was chosen from each of the Conference’s 21-sponsored sports, as well as men’s and women’s at-large selections. Those individuals will receive a $2,000 stipend toward graduate or professional studies.
 
Valles collected the Men’s Indoor Field Most Outstanding Performance award for the fourth consecutive year at the recent American Indoor Track and Field Championship. He became the conference’s first four-time indoor champion in the pole vault with a best clear of 5.50 meters. Valles is the first student-athlete (male or female) in the history of The American to win the same event in four consecutive seasons.
 
Valles will be vying for his fourth straight indoor U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) honor in the pole vault at the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championship. In an earlier event this winter, he recorded a clear of 5.61 meters, a mark that ranks fourth nationally in 2018. He earned first-team All-America honors in indoor in 2017 after finishing fifth at the national meet. Valles also was a first-team All-American honoree after finishing runner-up at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. He also was the recipient of the 2017 NCAA Elite 90 award at the Indoor Track and Field Championships. That honor annually is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA championships.
 
Valles, a seven-time Dean’s List honoree at Cincinnati and a member of the University’s Honors Program, owns a 4.00 grade-point average and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration and business analytics. He earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial management, graduating with a 3.96 GPA.
 
2017-18 American Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Baseball	Connor McVey, Cincinnati
Football	Auggie Sanchez, USF
Basketball	Obi Enechionyia, Temple
Cross Country	Adam Rodrique, Tulsa
Golf	Davis Baxter, Cincinnati
Indoor Track and Field	Adrian Valles, Cincinnati
Outdoor Track and Field	Michael Criticos, Memphis
Soccer	Matias Pyysalo, UCF
Swimming and Diving	Chris Bready, Cincinnati
Tennis	Constantin Schmitz, Tulane
At-Large	Eli Rischling, Memphis (Rifle)

 
American Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year

2013-14	Vaughn Spurrier, Soccer, Temple
2014-15	Brian Barney, Track and Field, Cincinnati
2015-16	Blair Hamilton, Golf, Houston
2016-17	Adrian Valles, Track and Field, Cincinnati
2017-18	Adrian Valles, Track and Field, Cincinnati