MEC Release
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Ryker Brown of the Concord University football team and
Sydney Tucker of the Concord University women's soccer team have been announced as finalists for the Mountain East Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, the league office announced Wednesday morning.
Each institution in the MEC selected one female and one male as finalists for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which recognizes outstanding academic and athletic performance for the previous academic year. Each finalist will receive a plaque. The criteria to be nominated are: (1) a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average; (2) participated in at least 50 percent of the team's contests in a MEC-sponsored sport; (3) minimum of one year in residence at the institution.
Brown, a native of Peterstown, West Virginia, is Concord's male scholar-athlete finalist. He carries a 3.63 GPA as a criminology major. He was named to the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District Team in January. Brown is a three-time Concord Dean's List recipient, has been on the MEC Commissioner's Honor Roll since transferring from the University of Charleston in the spring of 2023, and was the 2025 Concord Champions Gala Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
On the field, Brown transformed into one of the best linebackers in the MEC in 2024 as he rolled up the third-most tackles in the conference with 78 on his way to being named All-MEC Second Team. His breakout year came one season after totaling 14 tackles in 2023. This past fall, Brown led Concord in tackles for loss (eight) as he started all 11 games.
Tucker, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, capped one of the best seasons in the recent history of CU women's soccer by being selected as a Third Team All-American by the Division Conference Commissioner's Association. That came after Tucker was named the D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year and the MEC Offensive Player of the Year. She tied for the top mark in goals scored in the MEC (16) and was tied for sixth nationally in goals in 2024. Tucker's All-American honor came just two years after the former walk-on only appeared in six games over the first two years of her CU career.
What may trump Tucker's on-the-field success is her academic accolades. Tucker was lauded as a CSC First Team Academic All-American in 2024 after being selected CSC Academic All-District for the second time in her career. She graduated with honors from Concord in 3.5 years as she walked across the stage in December with her degree in biology after carrying a 3.83 GPA. Tucker was named the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the Concord Champions Gala in April.
The Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winners are determined by a vote of the administrators in the MEC Â and the league office. The winners will be announced June 26.
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