WEST LIBERTY — Dan Monteroso has received a lot of awards during the course of his lifetime.

Most are from his athletic exploits.

However, the St. Clairsville and Purdue University graduate is much more than just an athlete.

Quite simply, he defines the term, ‘student-athlete.’ That was proven once again Tuesday afternoon when it was announced that Monteroso, who is entering his final year of graduate school at West Liberty University, received the Mountain East Conference’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.

“(This award) definitely means a lot,” Monteroso said. “Like every award, it’s always nice to be recognized. I am happy and honored. But I owe a lot of it to Coach (Jim) Crutchfield and Coach (Ben) Howlett in basketball and Coach (Roger) Waialae and my dad, Jeff, in football. Those guys really did a lot for me.”

Monteroso carried a 4.0 grade point average during the 2016-17 academic year, chasing a master’s degree in education. He has two classes remaining during the fall semester and then a thesis due in the spring to complete his graduate-school requirements.

“I am really not sure what classes I have to take just yet (in the fall),” Monteroso laughed. “I am just trying to enjoy the summer right now.”

As has been the case with all of the academic honors Monteroso has received since enrolling at West Liberty, he thinks his mom, Cathy, will be even more excited than he was.

“My mom takes academics seriously,” Monteroso said. “She’s now the Dean of the College of Education at West Liberty, so I am happy to have achieved this for her.”

According to a release from WLU, “the MEC Male and Female Scholar-Athlete Awards were created to recognize the conference’s male and female student-athletes who best pursued excellence in the classroom and on the playing field.”

To be considered for the award, the student-athlete must carry a 3.30 grade point average and take part in 50 percent of the team’s contests in a MEC-sponsored sport. Each MEC member nominated one male and one female. The final vote included members of administrators and conference officials.

One of the other finalists for the award was Matt Kinnick, who is embarking on his final year of eligibility as a football player at West Virginia State. He and Monteroso were teammates and classmates at St. Clairsville.

“Knowing that Matt was one of the finalists makes it even better to have won it,” Monteroso joked. “Matt’s had a great career (in football) and is now working on his master’s. Our class really pushed each other and loved to compete and I mean both in athletics and academics.”

College isn’t easy. Being a student-athlete is even harder. And playing two sports while maintaining a full class load borders on ridiculous. Monteroso made it look easy this past school year.

“You just kind of get into a routine and do it,” Monteroso said. “You wake up, get your workout in, eat lunch, practice and you find time for your school work,” Monteroso said. “You just make it happen. You don’t make excuses or complain. You just do it.”

After deciding to enroll on the hilltop, Monteroso played his final football season and then embarked on a basketball season for then head coach Jim Crutchfield. He played a starring role on both squads, leading both teams in scoring.

On the football field, Monteroso caught 57 passes for 918 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He then shifted to the basketball court, where he hadn’t played since his senior year at St. Clairsville in 2013, and averaged 18.2 points per game.

Monteroso’s basketball season didn’t end the way he had envisioned. After leading the Hilltoppers to the MEC Tournament title, they earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, the Hilltoppers bowed out to arch-rival Wheeling Jesuit in the Atlantic Regional quarterfinal in a game in which Monteroso left early with a hamstring injury.

“That game and how it ended is something I think about a lot,” Monteroso admitted. “I look at myself in the mirror and wonder if I did everything I could to help prevent that injury. I’ve really stepped up and buckled down in my injury prevention workouts and I have a better understanding of what rest can do for the body. I’m focusing on being healthy and ready.”

Though he has one hoop season remaining, Monteroso has exhausted his football eligibility. He plans to still be around camp when the Toppers open next month.

“I still have the plan to get into coaching (after college) and I told my dad I’m willing to do anything I can to help,” Monteroso said. “Other than that, I will be spending a lot of time in the gym and working out on John Jenkins Court (in St. Clairsville).”