WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The 2021-2022 Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team and 14 student-athletes recently received academic honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
The volleyball team received one of the NJCAA’s 2021-2022 Academic Team Awards.
Eleven Grizzly Volleyball players and three Grizzly Basketball players earned All-Academic Team honors.
“Being named to the All-Academic Team is a big deal, and to have 14 Grizzlies receiving individual honors should have everyone on our campus feeling good about our student-athletes,” said Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann.
First team honors went to Ilana Assis, Jatai, Brazil; Leticia Barea, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Raina Forstrom, Cuba, Missouri; Sthefany Maximo, Uberlandia, Brazil; Alana Moesch, Lajeado, Brazil; and Manoela Rosa, Curitiba, Brazil.
Grizzlies earning second team honors included Manuela Ruth Bibinbe, Yaounde, Cameroon; Reece Dodson, Salem; Angelina Hardison, Houston, Texas; Doga Kutlu, Cakaya, Turkey; Lauren Weber, Nixa; and Sterling White, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Third team honors were awarded to Heather Montague, Koshkonong, and Mehdi Pissis, Sartrouville, France.
“We’re so proud of our players being recognized for their tremendous work in the classroom,” Wiedemann said. “It is a testament to their dedication and commitment to being successful on and off the court.
“This is the result of a lot of effort put in by our players and everyone who supports them as student-athletes,” she added. “They put the time in that’s needed to excel academically, and I could not be happier for the recognition they deserve for their efforts. How cool is it to see almost 80% of your team named to an NJCAA All-Academic Team?”
“We are proud of Sterling, Reece and Mehdi,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Jared Phay added. “They were leaders for us on the court, in the community and in the classroom. Reece and Mehdi are continuing their academic success at other institutions, but we are glad that Sterling will continue to be a leader for us this coming year.”
NJCAA officials recognize individual student-athletes for academic honors at three levels:
• First team All-Academic Team (4.0 GPA)
• Second team All-Academic Team (3.8 to 3.99 GPA)
• Third team All-Academic Team (3.6 to 3.79)
Officials honored 9,912 student-athletes this past year for academic achievement.
Academic Team Award
To receive the Academic Team Award, team members must have achieved a team cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The Grizzlies had a GPA of 3.5 this past year.
Twenty-nine teams received NJCAA Academic Team of the Year honors for posting the highest GPA in their sport; 1,061 teams received the Academic Team Award for posting cumulative GPAs over 3.0 for the year.
“As a team, this group did a great job in the classroom,” Wiedemann said. “Although awarded to the team, the honor is shared with our tremendous faculty who lead them, as well as the staff of the Advisement and Academic Coaching Center for Empowering Student Success (AACCESS) and the PAWS (Promoting Academic success With Student-Athletes) Program, who work together with our players to make them the best students possible,” she said.
The PAWS (Promoting Academic Success With Student-Athletes) Program was implemented in spring 2002. It consists of a group of students, faculty and staff who are dedicated to helping student-athletes develop the skills they need to excel in the classroom. It also provides additional assistance to student-athletes during study hall periods.
This year’s recognition of 11 volleyball players for individual academic awards brings the total number of such honorees in the volleyball program’s history to 68. Ten basketball players, including this year’s selections, have received such honors in the basketball program’s history.
This is the 18th academic honor in the past 19 years for the Grizzly Volleyball team.
For more information about Grizzly Athletics, visit MSUWPGrizzlies.com.
