Three Georgia Gwinnett College softball players have been honored for their success in the classroom and diamond as academic all-district selections by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The organization announced the recognition on Thursday.

Senior designated player Sydney Willhite, junior infielder Holly Janco and sophomore catcher Sydney Pelaez were selected in a vote among sports information directors throughout the district.

This year's awards were based upon player's career statistics after the 2020 season was cut short across all NCAA and NAIA levels by the COVID-19 public health pandemic.

The three players were key contributors to GGC teams that won Association of Independent Institutions championships and made consecutive trips to NAIA postseason tournaments.

Willhite, a 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-America first-team selection, holds program records with 21 home runs and 45 doubles. The Monroe, Ga., native appeared in 192 games and had a career .341 batting average. She earned All-A.I.I. team honors during all four seasons and was named to the conference's Champions of Character team in 2020.

Willhite, an exercise science major, connected on eight home runs during the 2019 and 2017 seasons and drove in 144 runs. She posted a .341 batting average in 20 games this spring.

Janco has started 136 of 138 games of her career at second base for the Grizzlies. The Auburn, Ga., native has legged out 16 triples and scored 82 runs while having a .336 career batting average. She has collected 117 career hits and successfully stole 40 bases. Janco, a pre-elementary education major, has been an active member for GGC's Council for Student-Athletes, leading the group's Operations Christmas Child initiative.

Pelaez was the 2019 A.I.I. Freshman of the Year and helped the Grizzlies reach the semifinal round of the NAIA World Series. She has been a two-time all-A.I.I. team selection and has posted a career .339 batting average with 58 hits, including 11 doubles and three triples. The Tampa, Fla., native hit three of her five career home runs during the shortened spring season. Pelaez, a political science international relations major, is vice president of the Council for Student-Athletes and member of GGC's Student Government Association.

Student-athletes eligible for the academic recognition need to be in their second year at their current institution and have a 3.3 or higher cumulative grade point average.

Willhite, Janco and Pelaez are now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, awarded later this spring.

Georgia Gwinnett College posted a 12-9 record and was ranked No. 10 in the NAIA when the 2020 season ended due to the public health crisis.