Once again, Southeast
Community College student-athletes prove to be a success not only on the field
but also in the classroom. Six of the eight SCC athletic teams scored above a
3.0 cumulative team grade-point average during the 2016-2017 year.
The National Junior College
Athletic Association released its Academic All-American individual and team
awards. The Storm men’s cross country team (3.34 GPA) tied for second in the
nation, and the men’s basketball team (3.46 GPA) finished third in the NJCAA
academic team rankings. The other Storm teams finishing with at least a 3.0
cumulative GPA were men’s baseball (3.07) and golf (3.06), and women’s volleyball
(3.05) and softball (3.29).
Leading the way individually
were softball players Courtney Stephens of Lincoln (Southeast High School),
Brooke Brestel of Lincoln (Southwest High School); men’s basketball player Daniel
Quesenberry of Salem, Utah (Salem Hills High School); volleyball player Diedre
Waite of Dalton (Leyton High School); and women’s basketball player Erika
Goracke of Sterling (Sterling High School), each of whom earned NJCAA
All-Academic First-team honors with perfect 4.0 GPAs.
“I’m a student first,”
Brestel said. “I worked on my studies, then I worried about softball. Our coach
was really understanding about putting school first.”
“An education is paramount,”
said Bob Ginsburg, head coach of the Storm softball team. “These girls
succeeding in the classroom is bigger than any win during the season.”
Ginsburg said if any of his
athletes are struggling with school, they immediately get them help before it
becomes a bigger problem.
“We support everybody,” he
said. “I’m bringing them here because they’re excellent athletes, but also
because they work hard in the classroom.”
SCC Athletic Director Dan
Johnson says an athlete with good academic standing could make the difference
when transferring to a four-year school.
“Seeking playing positions at
four-year institutions is very competitive,” Johnson said. “Coaches not only
want talented athletes, but they want good students as well.”
In all, 30 SCC
student-athletes received national academic honors. Thirteen Storm athletes earned
NJCAA second-team honors (with GPAs 3.80 to 3.99), while 12 earned third-team
honors (3.60-3.79).
For a complete list of SCC
student-athletes, log on to www.njcaa.org/academic-awards and click on the individual sports.