MARQUETTE – Weightlifter Ryan Borges of the U.S. Olympic Training Site has been selected as the Northern Michigan University Scholar Athlete for the Month for March by the NMU Athletic Council.

Borges, a native of Bradenton, Florida, is majoring in secondary education special education and attained a 3.67 grade-point average last semester.

He was nominated by NMU-OTS head coach Vance Newgard.

“I nominated Ryan because of his work with the special needs community in Marquette,” Newgard said. “Ryan has coached the Special Olympics powerlifting team for several years. Each summer he prepares the team to compete in the state championships. I get a lot of compliments from the parents about how much Ryan’s dedication means to their children. Ryan has been a stellar athlete both inside and outside the gym.”

Borges was a member of the NMU-OTS team that won the University National Championships in September in Ogden, Utah. He also earned an individual University Championship title in the 62-kilogram weight class.

More information about the NMU-OTS program is available online at www.nmu.edu/ots.