Georgia Athletics: Four Student-Athletes Initiated into Blue Key Honor Society

Four University of Georgia student-athletes were initiated into the Blue Key Honor Society on Sunday night. The Society recognizes junior and senior men and women of outstanding character and ability who have achieved distinction for scholarship and recognition for service and leadership.

The student-athletes initiated were Ty Frix (Football), Maddie Locus (Swimming and Diving), Lucie Ondraschkova (Track and Field) and Shannon Vreeland (Swimming and Diving).

Ty Frix, Photo by Danny Bishop

Frix, who completed his football career at Georgia in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 3, served as the Bulldogs long snapper in from 2009 until the end of the 2012 season after redshirting his freshman year in 2008. In his senior season, Frix was elected the team’s special teams captain while appearing in all 14 games.

The Calhoun native was also a standout student throughout his time at Georgia, earning SEC Academic Honor Roll every year he was on campus. Frix was inducted into UGA’s Student-Athlete Leadership Academy known as L.E.A.D (Leadership Education and Development) in 2012, named a Peach of an Athlete honoree in 2011 and was named to the COSIDA Capital One Academic All-America Second Team in 2012. He graduated with a degree in Biological Engineering in May 2012.

Locus, who has just completed her sophomore season with the Lady Bulldogs swimming and diving team, was also named to the L.E.A.D program in 2012 as well as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

During her freshman season, the UGA Athletic Association chose Locus as a Presidential Scholar as she maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the fall semester. She was also named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the spring semester and recognized by the Athletic Association for achieving all A’s throughout her academic career.

Photo courtesy of University of Georgia

Ondraschkova’s successful indoor season included a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championship where she scored a personal best 4,208 points. She recorded four then-personal bests at the meet.

The success Vreeland has experienced since the summer of 2012 has made her one of the most successful at the University. She won an Olympic gold medal at the London Games as part of the United States 800 freestyle relay team before returning to school where she helped the Lady Bulldogs to their fifth national championship and first since 2005.

Vreeland’s success has gone well beyond the boundaries of the pool as she was also chosen for the UGA Athletic Association’s L.E.A.D Program. Vreeland was also named to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The Blue Key Honor Society was founded in October 1924 at the University of Florida with the second chapter being founded at the University of Georgia two years later in 1926.

An important tradition of The University of Georgia Chapter is the Blue Key Alumni Banquet, which was designed to bring together business and government leaders from across the state to participate in a dinner program hosted by the student Blue Key members. The Banquet also has served as an occasion to present an annual Blue Key Award from the student chapter to distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to the University of Georgia, the state and the nation. Over one hundred such awards have been given since the Chapter was founded.