Daytona State wins 2 National Academic Team of the Year awards

Daytona State wins 2 National Academic Team of the Year awards
July 11, 2017

Falcons earn top honors from NJCAA - best team GPAs in men's baseball, women's golf

Daytona Beach, Fla. (July 11, 2017) – Two Daytona State College squads were named National Academic Team of the Year by the National Junior Collegiate Athletics Association (NJCAA) for the 2016-17 season. The Falcon women's golf team, which won their ninth national championship earlier this year, earned a fourth-straight academic title with a 3.89 team Grade Point Average (out of 4.0), the highest of any team in the NJCAA this year. Men's baseball posted a 3.70 team GPA to earn their 11th consecutive academic team of the year award.

"This is a tremendous honor that speaks highly of our hard-working student-athletes, their coaches, advisors and our college faculty," said Tom LoBasso, DSC president. "Education comes first for all of our athletes, and while we're always excited to see them succeed on the field, the real reward for us is their high performance in the classroom and how it translates to post-graduate success."

In total, 13 women's teams and 12 men's teams were honored by the NJCAA for posting the best GPA averages in their respective sports. DSC was one of only three schools in the nation to earn titles in multiple sports. Competition for the top honor was tough as the NJCAA had a record 740 teams finish the season with a team GPA above 3.0.

"We are fortunate to have very dedicated leaders in our coaches and academic advisors," said Will Dunne, DSC athletics director. "We have created a program of accountability and support that builds good study habits and drives our students to achieve great things. This is an especially big year for women's golf. Earning a national championship and the highest national academic honor in the same year really exemplifies the winning tradition we have built here at Daytona State."

In addition to the team honors, men's baseball earned 16 individual All-Academic Team honors including first-team recognition for Alexander Hendricks (Jacksonville, Florida), Austin Nickle (Palm Bay, Florida), Jacob Rothwell (St. Petersburg, Florida) and Kyle Frick (New Port Richey, Florida). Seven women's golf student-athletes received individual All-Academic honors as well, including first-team honors for Cam Becker (Lutz, Florida), Kendall Johnson (Plant City, Florida) and Kaye Kwon (South Korea).

A total of 48 Falcon student-athletes received individual academic honors including 12 NJCAA All-Academic First Team members (4.0 GPA), 18 NJCAA All-Academic Second Team honorees (3.8-3.99 GPA) and 18 NJCAA All-Academic Third Team recipients (3.6-3.79 GPA).

Currently, the Falcons have 161 student-athletes in eight varsity sports including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, women's golf, fast-pitch softball, baseball and volleyball. DSC offers an all-around sports complex, including the L. Gale Lemerand Health, Wellness and Community Education Center, an indoor pool, two top-notch playing fields and a field house. In fall 2018, the Falcons will add 20 new opportunities for student-athletes in women's and men's cross country.

For more information on Falcon athletics, visit DSCFalcons.com.

COMPLETE LIST OF INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC HONORS

NJCAA All-Academic First Team (4.0 GPA)

  • Men's baseball: Alexander Hendricks, Austin Nickle, Jacob Rothwell and Kyle Frick
  • Women's golf: Cam Becker, Kendall Johnson and Kaye Kwon
  • Women's soccer: Jena Tilleman
  • Women's softball: Alicia Tomberlin and Miranda Greene
  • Women's volleyball: Sandra Hovels and Tania Kottke

NJCAA All-Academic Second Team (3.8-3.99 GPA)

  • Men's baseball: Alan Burnsed, Conner Driscoll, David Maberry, Trey Thigpen and Wyatt Harvin
  • Women's basketball: Kaylee Barnard
  • Women's golf: Cristine Lee, Jiwon Jeon, and Katie Veale
  • Women's soccer: Katelin Comer, Olivia Thomas, Michaella Krebser and Megan Warner
  • Women's softball: Sydney Chester and Holli Jones
  • Women's volleyball: Paula Fabian, Ashley Hughes, and Haley Toler

NJCAA All-Academic Third Team (3.6-3.79 GPA)

  • Men's baseball: Austin Barnes, Michael Hall, Brendan Mafnas, Austin Massebeau, Mario Presutti, Matthew Swiderski and Garrett Vathroder
  • Women's golf: Grace St-Germain
  • Women's soccer: Cheyenne Beck, Kathryn Hurst, Maia Krebser and Caterina Yibirin
  • Women's softball: Kendall Arcia, Amanda Nikhazy, Olivia Printiss and Megan Woodson
  • Women's volleyball: Halleigh Delligatti and Kyra Ross