Rowan College at Burlington County student athletes earn national recognition for academic achievement by National Association
Three Rowan College at Burlington County student athletes, and the entire Lady Barons Soccer team received awards by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in recognition of their academic achievements.
“Our student athletes are dedicated to putting their best foot forward on the field, in the community and in the classroom,” said Rowan College at Burlington County Director of Athletics Heather Conger. “Despite multiple commitments and hectic schedules, our athletes have the access to the resources they need to succeed at the college, and they support each other like a family to achieve their goals academically.”
With one of the best GPAs in their sport, the women’s soccer team earned an honorable mention in the NJCAA 2014–2015 Academic Teams of the Year category. They had an overall 3.21 GPA. To be eligible for the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year accolades, teams needed to have a minimum 3.0 GPA for the year. This is the second team award that women’s soccer has snagged this year, earning the Sportsmanship Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s (NSCAA) Ethics Committee in the beginning of 2015, which is based on the number of penalty cards a team receives during their regular season and playoff games. The Lady Barons had no red cards and only two yellow cards to earn a silver-level sportsmanship award.
“The Lady Barons had a great season, earning top seed in the Region XIX tournament and a perfect record against their conference, but their sportsmanship and academic awards give much deserved recognition to qualities that are most important to our student athletes — their incredible character and commitment to learning,” said Rowan College at Burlington County Women’s Soccer Head Coach Kathleen DeLitta. “We couldn’t be more proud.”
Individual student athletes picking up awards included men’s baseball player, Dante Key, of Eastampton, and women’s soccer player Catherine Miller, of Shamong, who received the NJCAA Award for Exemplary Academic Achievement. To achieve this award, student athletes needed to have between a 3.60 and 3.79 GPA. Men’s soccer player Michael Ribeiro, of Delran, took home the NJCAA Award for Superior Academic Achievement, given to those who carry between a 3.80 and 3.99 GPA.
“These Rowan College at Burlington County student athletes represent a great source of pride for the college. Not only are they gifted athletically and academically, but they serve others and lead by example,” said Rowan College at Burlington County President Paul Drayton. “I know they will go on to accomplish great things and I’m excited to celebrate even more achievements when we will officially take the field as Rowan College at Burlington County this fall.”
