BULLDOGS SCORE BIG IN THE CLASSROOM
Fourteen football players, eight women's basketball players, seven baseball players, and six men's basketball players are among the 52 Allan Hancock College student-athletes who qualified for the Dean's List during the 2018 fall semester. The number eclipses last fall's mark of nearly 50 student-athletes who earned grade point averages of 3.50 or higher. In addition, 15 of these athletes achieved 4.0 GPAs.
"Every year, I am amazed at the academic success of our student-athletes. This is a great demonstration of the efforts of our coaching staff, and academic counselor, Laney Campos, as well as our amazing student-athletes," said Kim Ensing, Hancock's athletic director and associate dean. "We all love winning games, however, our success in the classroom is our greatest achievement as a department."
Forty student-athletes on the Dean's List participated on in-season sports teams, which means they participated in intercollegiate competition during the fall semester. Those sports include football, men's soccer, men's and women's basketball, women's water polo and volleyball.
The Women's Basketball program boasted the highest overall GPA in the athletic department with an impressive 3.48. Six members of the 14-player roster, red-shirt freshman Rheemy Coleman, freshman Sarah Gudeman, freshman Danielle Morgan, sophomores Tawny Lino, Tashara Pruett-Gibbs, and Kiesa Romero, all scored a 4.0.
"We ask our players to put out their best efforts both on the court and in the classroom. Academic achievement has traditionally been a great source of pride for the AHC Women's Hoops program and it is exciting to see this group excel in their classes," said Cary Nerelli, Hancock women's basketball head coach. "To earn a composite 3.48 GPA while balancing the rigors of a competitive basketball season, a full slate of classes, and a part time job truly amazing, and our coaching staff could not be more proud of these young ladies."
Highlighted by sophomores Glenn Jordan and Gabrys Sadaunykas, both of whom earned 4.0 GPAs during the fall semester, six men's basketball players made the list. Freshmen Grant Johnson, red-shirt freshman Luke Nichols, freshman Will Silmon, and sophomore Spirit Ricks had GPAs of 3.5 or higher. With nearly half of its 13-player roster on the Dean's List, the men's basketball team compiled an overall team GPA of 3.40.
Fourteen players from the American League Champion football team received 3.5 GPAs or higher. Two players, Jacob Bouzard and Nate Guzman, achieved a 4.0. Logan Armstrong, Johnethon Aviles, Kamren Brown, Thomas Carr, Domanic Chapa, Tristin Durfee, Jacob Stanko, Jackson Valencia, Brayan Villa Avila, Dominic King, Pierre Moudourou, Hector Gil Garcia joined them on the Deans' List.
Sophomore Ismael Hernandez scored a 4.0 and was one of seven baseball players to make the Dean's list this fall. Teammates Jacob Camerena, Zachary Fernandez, Jesse Gasca, Diego Martinez, Reed Odland, and Jake Shusterich helped the program achieve an overall GPA of 3.36.
Seven women's soccer players, four volleyball players, two softball players, two members of the women's swimming team, as well as one women's cross country, and one men's soccer player earned 3.5 GPAs or higher in the fall.