35 MGCCC student-athletes get NJCAA academic awards

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College had 35 players win NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Awards for the 2015-16 season, including three who had perfect 4.0 grade-point averages.

Softball's Deborah Elmore, women's soccer's Bree Bonner and men's basketball's Peyton Owen graduated with straight A's to earn Pinnacle Academic Achievement Awards.

The NJCAA gives Superior Academic Achievement Awards to student-athletes who finish with a 3.80-3.99 GPA. Gulf Coast had 14 players earn those awards: football's James Graves, Tyler Flathau and Larry Sisson; golf's Wyatt Adkison and Noah Ahlers; women's soccer's Madi Giese and Maryssa Everett; softball's Izzy Werdann, Jennifer Walker, Victoria Allen and Nora Keehn; men's tennis' Bryan Allen and Chris Diep; and women's tennis' Karah Younger.

Gulf Coast had 18 players win Exemplary Academic Achievement Awards for GPAs between 3.60-3.79: baseball's Luke Logan and Mason Sullivan; football's Carson Jordan, Dylan Davis, Joshua Rowland and Tyler Allen; golf's George Kawell; men's soccer's Arnel Dujkovic, Gio Freitas, Jordan Guillot and Keione Mellon; women's soccer's Hannah Martinez and Kameron Keely; softball's Kristen Gardner and Tabitha Johnson; men's tennis' Brennan O'Keefe; and women's tennis' Katie Robinson. Abigail Smith also earned the Exemplary Award while playing soccer and tennis.

All honorees must have completed 24 credit hours of coursework in their college careers.

A photo gallery of MGCCC's academic award winners