From left to right: Associate Vice President of Athletics Dr. Darin S. Wilson, Addie Adame, Maria Genovese, Alexa Good, Sydney Pelaez, Assistant Athletics Director for Internal Operations Dr. Ian Potter at the eighth annual athletics banquet as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans

Hitting the Books, Winning on the Field

8/19/2021 1:45:00 PM

Georgia Gwinnett College had unprecedented success on the athletic field and in the academic classrooms with three NAIA national championships and six Academic All-Americans during the 2020-21 school year.

Then, two student-athletes earned the ultimate academic honor as NAIA Academic All-Americans of the Year – an achievement that put the Grizzlies on a special list alongside the University of Alabama, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University for colleges having multiple top academic awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The pursuit of excellence, responsibility and leadership are three of the core values of GGC’s Office of Athletics and the phrase “Everything Matters” can be found throughout the Grizzly Athletics Complex.

I was extremely impressed with how our student-athletes performed in the classroom in a very challenging time and academic environment (with online and hybrid classes). It all centers around the ‘Everything Matters’ mantra. It all matters whether it’s on the field, off the field and what takes place academically,

- Associate Vice President of Athletics Dr. Darin S. Wilson

Rising senior women's tennis player Maria Genovese captured individual and team national championships in 2020-21 in earning CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year honors for women's at-large sports

The department compiled a 3.03 grade point average (out of 4.0) for the 2020-21 school year and 69 student-athletes put their names on the Director of Athletics Honor Roll for the 2021 spring semester.

NAIA CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year honors were awarded to 2021 graduate Hunter Dollander in baseball and rising senior tennis player Maria Genovese for women’s at-large sports.

Four Academic All-Americans were spread across three other sports.

2021 graduate Hunter Dollander helped lead the baseball team to its first national championship in 2021 in earning CoSIDA NAIA Baseball Academic All-American of the Year award

The battery of sophomore softball pitcher Alexa Good and sophomore catcher Sydney Pelaez were second-team award recipients this year. The sport has produced six Academic All-Americans since 2018.

Academic success for any athlete takes an attention to detail, time management and an ability to handle pressure. Our Academic All-Americans have been student-athletes who have been focused on their futures. They have had worthwhile careers who have contributed to their professions, communities and families,

- Head Softball Coach Kat Ihlenburg

Sophomore pitcher Alexa Good and sophomore catcher Sydney Pelaez helped lead the softball team to a conference title and 33 wins in 2021

On the diamond, the softball program has been consistently ranked among the nation’s top NAIA teams, has qualified for the NAIA national tournament, captured conference championships, and won more than 300 games.

GGC’s soccer programs have combined to have six CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. The latest were 2021 men’s team graduate Alfredo Rivera and junior women’s midfielder Addie Adame.

We expect our players to give their best in everything they do. We have found that moving our practices to the morning has resulted in better academic and athletic performances. Our athletes are off the field and out of the (Grizzly Athletics Complex) by 11 a.m. and have the rest of the day to concentrate on their schoolwork and enjoy other aspects of their lives,

- Men's Soccer Head Coach Steve DeCou

2021 graduate Alfredo Rivera became a two-time Academic All-American during the 2020-21 season

Georgia Gwinnett College has had 25 Academic All-Americans in the nine years of athletics’ existence at the college, including at least one honoree for the past five straight years. At the same time, the Grizzlies have captured 14 NAIA national championships, including 2021 titles in baseball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis, and 21 conference championships.

“Excelling in the classroom paves the way for excellence in athletics for our student-athletes,” admits Wilson. “We continue to prove that are student-athletes can succeed at the highest level on the regional and national levels.”

Junior midfielder Addie Adame was the Most Outstanding Player at the 2020-21 Association of Independent Institutions championship and tallied the game-winning goal in double overtime in the 2019 NAIA Opening Round

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