DENVER- University of Idaho track and field student-athlete Jeremy Klas and New Mexico State softball student-athlete Amber Olive have been named the 2012-13 Western Athletic Conference Stan Bates Award winners. Klas becomes the fourth Vandal in a row to earn the men’s honor. Olive is the second Aggie in three years to be bestowed with the women’s honor. The Stan Bates Award is named in honor of former WAC Commissioner Stan Bates and is given to the WAC’s top male and female scholar-athletes and recognizes the recipients’ athletic, academic and community accomplishments. The awards include a $3,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Klas, a native of Moscow, Idaho, earned a degree in computer science in May and graduated with a 3.62 GPA, one of the highest GPAs of all male student-athletes at Idaho. He is a six-time Academic All-WAC honoree and also a two-time second team Academic All-District honoree (2010, outdoor; 2011 indoor). Klas has been named a Vandal Athletics Scholar-Athlete every year since 2010, and is a three-time US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I All-Academic.
In competition, Klas won three consecutive indoor pole vault titles (2010-2012) to go with two outdoor championships. He was a seven-time first team All-WAC pole vault performer (four indoor; three outdoor). In 2012, Klas earned second team honors in the decathlon and pole vault. He is the school’s record holder in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault. In 2010, Klas became the first Vandal man to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault. He finished tied for ninth, becoming Idaho’s first indoor All-American in the event. He added a second first-team All-America honor in 2013 at the NCAA Outdoor championships. He also earned honorable mention (indoor, 2011) and second-team honors (indoor, 2012).
In addition, Klas has volunteered with many children’s programs in and around Moscow. He was a key contributor to the annual Kids Track & Field Camp and directed the Kids Triathlon in each of his five years at Idaho. Klas participates in the Vandals pen pal program with St. Mary’s elementary school.
“Despite the numerous honors and achievements, Jeremy’s track career can be summed up with one word, unselfish,” said Idaho Director of Athletics Rob Spear. “From his sophomore through junior season, Jeremy competed in the heptathlon and decathlon at the WAC Championship meets to help his team earn a few extra points. His efforts provided a big boost to the team when Idaho won the 2012 indoor and outdoor championships.”
Olive, from Simi Valley, Calif., earned her degree in communication studies and psychology. Olive has succeeded academically and athletically since joining the Aggies in 2010. She is a four-time Academic All-WAC honoree and was named to the 2013 CoSIDA Academic All-District team. Olive earned a 3.901 GPA and was awarded the NM State Psychology Department Heads Award for Academic Excellence. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association recognized Olive in 2010 and 2011 as a NFCA Scholar Athlete.
In addition to her achievements in the classroom, Olive has also devoted herself to the community. In her spare time, she logged hundreds of community service hours over her four years as an Aggie. She was the softball representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Olive has participated in a note taking program, recording course notes for special education students for the past three school-years. Olive was named the 2013 NM State Community Service Athlete of the Year for all of her work in the community. She has assisted with freshman move-in, helping out at the annual softball camp and assisting in monthly food drives.
On the diamond, Olive started 144 games for the Aggies and appeared in 180 in her career. In 2013 she led the conference in hits (79) and runs scored (41). Her .393 batting average was second in the WAC in 2013. For her career, Olive accumulated 47 RBIs, 32 stolen bases and 186 hits. She was a 2013 All-WAC, NFCA All-Region selections and the National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year.
“Amber took on the captain role for our team last summer and led a very young squad with patience, expectations and energy,” Aggies head coach Kathy Rodolph said. “She demonstrated the best leadership qualities over the course of the season that I have witnessed in my 27 years of coaching. I believe her leadership was a big reason our young team vied for a WAC Championship this year.”