BLINN HAS 11 TEAMS AND 81 STUDENT-ATHLETES EARN ALL ACADEMIC HONORS
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The Blinn College District is pleased to announce that student-athletes from nine Buccaneer athletic programs combined for 11 NJCAA Academic Team honors and 81 NJCAA All-Academic selections.
Blinn baseball, women's basketball, cheerleading, men's and women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer, softball, and volleyball were each named NJCAA Academic Teams of the Year after posting cumulative team grade point averages above 3.0 during the academic year. In addition, the Buccaneers' men's and women's cross country programs also were recognized as honorees in men's and women's outdoor track and field teams based on the NJCAA's academic classifications for spring competition.
Blinn's honored teams included women's golf (3.65), softball (3.48), volleyball (3.47), women's basketball (3.42), women's outdoor track and field (3.40), women's cross country (3.37), baseball (3.29), women's soccer (3.29), men's cross country (3.21), men's outdoor track and field (3.17), and cheerleading (3.09).
To be recognized, a team must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better throughout the academic year.
"These honors speak volumes about the commitment our student-athletes have made to academic success," Blinn athletic director Scott Schumacher said. "I'm incredibly proud of the effort they've put into the classroom, and this achievement is also a credit to our coaches and academic support staff, who play such an important role in their success."
A total of 23 Blinn student-athletes earned NJCAA All-Academic First-Team honors by posting perfect 4.0 grade point averages. Those student-athletes were softball players Annie Beckendorf, Kourtney Carter, Skylar Flanagan, and Avery Marquart; football players Brady Buchanan and Jude Hernandez; women's soccer players Dana Campos and Kristen Gasaway; women's cross country and outdoor track and field athletes Belicia Delk and Juliana Jeansonne; baseball players AJ DePaolo, Austin Glasscock, and Tucker Tittle; volleyball players Haley Fojtik and Zoey Montgomery; men's soccer players Nawfal Hadj-Hamou, Alfredo Morales, and Geoff Ojango; women's golfers Ava Murcer and Lillie Webster; women's basketball player Phoenix Sneed; men's basketball player Tyson Mobley; and men's golfer Dalton Winkelman.
Second-team honorees, with GPAs between 3.80 and 3.99, included softball players Lexi Fief and Londyn Holland; women's soccer players Marguerite Funk, Mia King, Genevive Lillard, and Saya Shiratzuki; women's cross country and outdoor track and field athlete Brooke Berryman; baseball players Jacob Bohacek, Carson Cherry, and Ryley Leininger; volleyball players Jessa Frosch and Karolina Karabasz; men's soccer player Jesus Florencio; women's basketball player Trina Franklin; and men's basketball player Mario Umana.
Making the third team with GPAs between 3.60 and 3.79 were football players Caleb Allen, Jack Emerson, and Yohana Kaniaru; softball players Madisyn Bracknell and Carly Rimek; women's soccer players Maria Coello and Karla Gonzalez; women's cross country athletes Mia Guillen, Fernanda Ortiz, and Clare White; women's outdoor track and field athletes Mia Guillen and Fernanda Ortiz; men's cross country athletes Ryan Fernandez, Cole Janecek, and Eric Lagat; men's outdoor track and field athletes Ryan Fernandez and Cole Janecek; baseball players Kason Atkins, James Bowden, Brody Mattox, Bryce Robinson, Zachary Tuxhorn, and Braxton Wakefield; women's golfers Jacqueline Lawrence, Zoe Nobile, Arianna Rodriguez, and Abiha Syed; volleyball player Lillie Thibodeaux; cheerleaders Jade Elam and Baylee Hargett; men's soccer players Devon Arnold, Joseph Coyle, Paolo Imeneo, and Amir Simpson; women's basketball players Cynthia LeCompte and Taylor Spencer; men's basketball player Vejas Matekonis; and men's golfers Matthew Elder, Robert Robinson, and Adrian Rodriguez.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 50 national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.