MOUNT VERNON – Six student-athletes have been elected to Cornell College's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. The induction is May 9.
 
The new honorees representing Cornell athletics are seniors Hailey Carolan (women's track & field), Ava Claussen-Tubbs (women's track & field), Heidi Jorgensen (women's basketball) and Gavin Soukup (football).
 
Shanelys Sanchez Robles (dance) and Sophie Stumbo (women's cross country/track & field) also earned the distinction as juniors.  
 
Phi Beta Kappa considers members of the top 15 percent of the senior class and the top five percent of the junior class. Election is based upon good character and a distinguished record of performance in courses that demonstrate a broad exposure to the liberal arts, as well as substantive work in areas outside the major.
 
Cornell has elected 18 total seniors and five juniors to this year's Phi Beta Kappa class. Their names will be added to the permanent plaque in Cole Library listing all members of Cornell's Delta of Iowa Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, established in 1922.
 
Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. Members include 17 U.S. presidents, 42 Super Court justices and more than 150 Nobel laureates.