by Matt Cooke
A record setting year of academic achievement continued Tuesday for student-athletes at the University of West Georgia. Three top spring sports performers were named as members of the 2014 Gulf South Conference All-Academic Team.
Earning the honors from UWG were men's golfer Kevin Clarke, Jaime Jordan from women's golf, and baseball's Galen Smith. The trio received the honor following a joint vote of the league's sports information directors and faculty athletic representatives.
To be considered for the GSC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 or better and must be significant contributor to his/her team. Also, freshmen and first year transfers are not eligible for the team.
For Kevin, a junior from Midlothian, Virginia, the honor marks his second consecutive appearance on the GSC All-Academic Team. Kevin is a sport management major and boasts a GPA of 3.43. On the course, he posted eight rounds of par-or-better this season, including twice shooting rounds of 69.
Jaime, a senior from Niceville, Florida, was also a solid performer on the course for UWG's women's golf team. Her season best performance was a seventh place finish in the tournament at North Georgia. In the classroom, Jaime is a psychology major with a 3.42 GPA.
Galen, a senior from Valdosta, had already completed his undergraduate degree before his final season began. Now working toward a master's degree in criminology, Galen carries a 3.83 GPA. On the field he batted .273 with 12 extra base hits and 21 RBI during the 2014 season.
Tuesday's honors cap a record year of classroom achievements for UWG student-athletes. Kevin, Jaime and Galen join 13 other UWG performers who previously received the honor in 2013-14.
Beyond their All-Academic Team honors, UWG also had a strong representation on the 2014 GSC Academic Honor Roll. A total of 45 UWG student-athletes from the school's five spring sports teams qualified for the honor roll. That brings the total of UWG honor roll performers for the entire academic year to 107, a total that far surpassed the previous school record of 94 set one year ago. To view the full list, visit the UWG Athletics website.
