July 16, 2020 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Every sport offered at Grand Rapids Community College is represented on the National Junior College Athletic Association’s 2020 All-Academic Teams – with three student-athletes honored for perfect 4.0 grade point averages.
Fifteen GRCC student-athletes were among 9,555 honored nationally by the NJCAA for achieving GPAs of 3.6 and higher.
“This has been a year of great challenges, but our student-athletes demonstrated they can be successful on the field and in the classroom,” said Tina Hoxie, associate provost and dean of Student Affairs. “Our coaches set high expectations for academics, helping students reach their potential academically as well as athletically.”
Volleyball players Emma Pachulski and Jamie Rozell and baseball player Dalton Vander Ark earned All-Academic First Team honors for their perfect 4.0 GPAs.
On the All-Academic Second Team, for GPAs of 3.8 to 3.99, are:
- Taylor Cross, softball.
- Danielle Johnston, volleyball.
- Mariah Vos, cross country.
- Jamie Wellet, volleyball and basketball.
- Jasmine Wellet, volleyball.
On the All-Academic Third Team, for GPAs of 3.6 to 3.79, are:
- Paige Bodine, cross country.
- Bethay Chick, basketball.
- Tyler Hausserman, golf.
- Elizabeth Palmer, basketball.
- Mariah Redding, basketball and softball.
- Savannah Stoepker, softball.
- Aaron West, baseball.
“NJCAA student-athletes proved that no obstacle is too difficult to overcome," said Christopher Parker, NJCAA president and CEO. "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. The association commends all individuals for their continued success on the playing surfaces and in the classrooms."
GRCC student-athletes didn’t confine their successes to the classroom, with the program earning the 2019-2020 Michigan Community College Athletic Association Charlie Chanter All-Sports Award, which goes to the college program most successful in a variety of sports.
The women’s cross country team qualified for the NJCAA Division I National Championship in November. It was their first time in program history racing as a team at the championship, and they finished 23rd out of 38 teams. Men’s team member Jack Kehoe competed individually at Nationals.
The volleyball team earned its fourth MCCAA title and went to Nationals for the 10th time in the program’s history, placing fifth.
The women’s basketball team placed third in Conference competition and made a semi-final appearance in the District Tournament -- its best finish since the 2015-16 season. The men’s basketball team qualified for the District tournament.
The golf team had a 14th-place finish in the NJCAA Division II National Championship.
Both the baseball and softball teams saw shortened seasons because of the pandemic.
Grand Rapids Community College offers learners of all ages opportunities to gain credits for degrees or transfer and in-demand career skills leading to rewarding careers. GRCC was established in 1914 – Michigan’s first community college -- and offers affordable classes on weekdays, evenings, Saturdays and online at locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties.