Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs win NSCAA awards

Mississippi Gulf Coast's men's and women's soccer teams each won academic awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and four players earned honors for their play on the field or performance in the classroom.

Coach Chris Handy's Bulldogs and Coach Jackie Rhodes' Lady Bulldogs won NSCAA Team Academic Awards for the 2014-15 season. The men's team had a 3.11 GPA, and the women's team had a 3.06 GPA.

There were 905 teams from the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA who won those awards, and Gulf Coast was one of only 229 that saw both teams named to the list.

Giovanni Freitas and Bree Bonner were named 2015 NSCAA First-Team Scholar All-Americans, each carrying a 4.0 GPA.

Freitas, a sophomore defender from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is majoring in business.

Bonner, a sophomore forward from Diamondhead, is majoring in pre-med.

James Beattie and Josh Palm were named to Division I Second-Team All-South Region.

Beattie, a freshman forward from Glasgow, Scotland, scored 13 goals and had 11 assists.

Palm, a sophomore defender from Jackson, had three goals.

Moriah Minnis, a sophomore forward from Perkinston, was named to the Division I All-South Region team. Minnis led Gulf Coast with seven goals and added one assist.

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.