San Jac seven make NJCAA all-academic list

Jul 16, 2020Courtney Morris
San Jac athletics

The National Junior College Athletic Association recognized seven San Jacinto College student-athletes for their academic achievements during the 2019-2020 season.

These seven San Jac baseball and softball players received the NJCAA all-academic recognition:

  • Lillie Grontenhuis, softball, first team
  • Kaylee Thomas, softball, first team
  • Laura Hernandez, softball, second team
  • Adam Houghtaling, baseball, second team
  • Morgan Childs, softball, third team
  • Nicholas Swanson, baseball, third team
  • Jordan Williams, baseball, third team

San Jac coaches applauded their players' hard work on and off the field.

"I am extremely proud of the personal achievements and academic success of our student-athletes, especially considering the unprecedented cancellation of the competitive season and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," San Jac baseball head coach Tom Arrington said.

"We want to congratulate our players on their success in the classroom," San Jac softball head coach Kelly Saenz said. "We are very proud of them, especially with a difficult spring semester."

NJCAA student-athletes faced their biggest opponent yet in the 2019-2020 season: COVID-19. Although the pandemic disrupted the playing season and academic year, all-academic students maintained top grades in their college classes, with 9,555 earning GPAs of 3.60 or higher.

These are the academic criteria for NJCAA recognition:

  • All-Academic First Team: 4.00 GPA
  • All-Academic Second Team: 3.80-3.99 GPA
  • All-Academic Third Team: 3.60-3.79 GPA

This year, 2,427 student-athletes received first team, 3,043 second team, and 4,085 third team honors.

"NJCAA student-athletes proved that no obstacle is too difficult to overcome," Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA president and CEO, said. "These difficulties pushed our student-athletes to the limit this year, but the opportunity to overcome these challenges presented itself, and our student-athletes flourished academically."

To view the complete list of NJCAA academic honors, visit njcaa.org.

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