The State Fair Community College (SFCC) athletic department had another successful year in the classroom. SFCC had 45 student-athletes and four teams honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association for their work in the classroom during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Men's cross country, women's basketball, baseball, and softball earned NJCAA Academic Team Awards for having a team grade point average of 3.0 or above. Student-athletes earning NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Awards are broken up into three categories. First-Team recipients have a grade point average of 4.0 during the entire academic year. Second-Team recipients earned a grade point average of 3.99-3.8. Third-Team recipients earned a grade point average of 3.79-3.6.
"We are proud of these academic accomplishments," said State Fair Community College President Dr. Brent Bates. "These awards were a result of hard work and commitment by students who realize that long after their athletic careers end, they can depend on the degrees and certificates to help them prosper in life."
The men's cross country team earned their first NJCAA Academic Team Award in the first year of the programs existence. Logan Shaw, Nathan Gemechu, Zack Dyer, and Ty Lewis all earned Second-Team honors.
The women's basketball team also earned their first NJCAA Academic Team Award. Olivia Dooley earned First-Team honors. Kayla Dooley, Grace Goodwin, and Kaitlyn Everts earned Second-Team recognition. Autumn Wallace and Donnisia Harrison earned Third-Team recognition.
The baseball team earned the programs second consecutive NJCAA Academic Team Award. Thomas Brand, Garret Lampert, Rylee Mabe, Drake Miller, Austin Warkins, and Adam Webb all earned Second-Team recognition. Hamilton Anderson, Zach Buschschulte, Caleb Casto, Ben Haug, and Christian Whiting earned Third-Team honors.
The softball team earned a third consecutive NJCAA Academic Team Award. Ellie Eckert, Emma Schouten, Kailei Allen, Kennidi Harris, Lauren Strange, Olivia Butler, and Tabitha Imhoff all earned First-Team honors. Haley Mackey, Paige Clines, and Rylee Hagens earned Second-Team honors. Hallie Russell, Hayden Echelmeier, Kelsey Webb, Samantha Campbell, and Sonni Harper earned Third-Team recognition.
Skyler Sweezor earned First-Team honors and Megan Toops earned Second-Team honors for the women's soccer team.
Wesley Morrison and Wagner Nascimento earned Second-Team honors for the men's soccer team.
Jamar Madge Jr. earned Third-Team honors for the men's basketball team.
Ella Golden earned Second-Team honors for the women's outdoor track and field team. Landon Mason earned First-Team honors for the men's outdoor track and field team. Beaty Cannon earned Second-Team. Ethan Sims earned Third-Team honors.
"Individual honors are great, but to have team honors means even more," said Athletic Director Darren Pannier. "We have high standards and expectations and I applaud our administration, our Faculty Association, and our coaches for continuing to make sure our student-athletes are successful. It takes a lot of effort from the student-athletes and the support of the entire campus to make this happen."
David Rohrbach SFCC Athletics