Academic Accolades for Rowan College at Burlington County Athletes

The Rowan College at Burlington County women’s soccer team and three individual athletes at the school earned National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in recognition of their academic achievements, the college announced on Monday.

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 with an overall GPA of 3.21. Teams needed to have a minimum 3.0 GPA for the year to be eligible.

Baseball player, Dante Key, of Eastampton, and women’s soccer player Catherine Miller, of Shamong, 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,” Rowan College at Burlington County President Paul Drayton said. “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.”

“Our student athletes are dedicated to putting their best foot forward on the field, in the community and in the classroom,” Rowan College at Burlington County Director of Athletics Heather Conger said. “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.”

Earlier this year, the women’s soccer team earned the Sportsmanship Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s (NSCAA) Ethics Committee. This award 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,” Rowan College at Burlington County Women’s Soccer Head Coach Kathleen DeLitta said. “We couldn’t be more proud.”

The attached image of the Rowan College at Burlington County women’s soccer team was provided by the college