TUCSON, Ariz. – The student athletes for February have been announced as Swim and Dive's Karli Thuen,  Men's Basketball's Lauri Markkanen, Softball's Danielle O'Toole, and Track and Field's Travis Thorne. These students have been honored because of their commitment to earning their respective degree, their ability to maximize their academic potential, and their dedication to academic improvement and growth.
 
These students have been chosen by members of the C.A.T.S Academics staff.
 
Thuen is a sophomore from Vista, Calif. who competes in the freestyle and individual medley events. During her freshman season, she placed sixth in the C final of the 400 IM at the Pac-12 Championships, and placed second in the 200 IM against No. 2 Stanford. Thuen also had an impressive high school career at JSerra Catholic, where she holds records for the 200 IM, 500 Free, and 4x100 Free Relay. She is working on a Studio Art Major, as she likes to draw and pain on her free time. Thuen's C.A.T.S Academics Learning Specialist, Aaron Davis comments on her creative abilities saying "Karli is a very talented artist and a very thoughtful, detail oriented student. She has kept herself organized, even while juggling extra studio time in her art classes. It's really wonderful to see a student so passionate about her classes."
 
Markkanen, a freshman forward from Jyvaskyla. Finland. The two time Pac-12 Player of the Week is in the midst of a breakout season with the Top Ten ranked Cats, averaging 15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. His highest scoring game comes against ASU, with 30 points and 8 rebounds. Markkanen has been nominated for several prestigious awards, such as the John R. Wooden Award and the Wayne Tisdale Freshman of the Year award. Samantha Amato, his C.A.T.S Academics counselor, praises Markkanen saying "all who work with him are in awe of his commitment to academics and his high standards of performance in the classroom.  He has been impressive from the day he stepped foot on campus this summer; he always goes the extra mile and is humbly dedicated to learning and being great in all aspects of his life."
 
O'Toole is wrapping up her time at Arizona, completing her redshirt senior season as a pitcher and first baseman. The Upland, Calif. led the Pac-12 in wins (26) and was a four-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week recipient. O'Toole was also a First Team all- Pac-12, the first since 2010, as well as an all-regional team member. She will be receiving her degree in Care, Health, and Society this upcoming May. O'Toole's C.A.T.S Academic Counselor, Sarah Howard, elaborates on her efforts inside and out of the classroom saying "I wanted to make sure to recognize Danielle because of her outstanding semester in the fall and the fact that she made the National Team for Softball over winter break. It just seems like all of Danielle's hard work is paying off both in the classroom and on the field."
 
Thorne is a distance runner from redshirt junior from Spokane, Wash. During his high school career, Thorne was captain for both senior and junior year, where he earned MVP honors his senior year, as well. The highlights of his freshman and sophomore seasons include a 3rd place finish in the Thunderbird Classic 8k and a 3rd place finish in the 3000- meter steeple chase at the ASU Invitational. Thorne redshirted the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to him completing his LDS mission. He is working towards a double major in Optical Sciences and Engineering. Sarah Howard, Thorne's C.A.T.S Academic Counselor, applauds his academic work saying "Even though he took two years off for his mission, he was able to jump right back into his engineering classes. He is the ideal student because he asks for help and meets with his professors if he doesn't understand something. Travis doesn't quit when things get hard but finds ways to succeed."
 
 
 
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