Cyclone student-athletes not only demonstrated their athletic skills, but also their intelligence in the classroom this past year. Among nearly 60,000 student-athletes who compete in the NJCAA, 21 Moraine Valley student-athletes were recognized with the 2018-19 Academic Student-Athlete Award and six teams earned Academic Team of the Year. Additionally, 43 students were named Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) All-Academic Athletes of the Year and 32 freshmen were named All-Conference Freshmen Academic Athletes of the Year.
NJCAA Academic Student-Athletes must have a 3.6 GPA or higher after completing at least 24 credits and participate in the college's sport for at least one season. Moraine Valley athletes who received this honor are: Baseball player William Curtis (Lockport); basketball player Julia Ruzevich (Marist); runners Victoria Granz (Richards) and for a second year, John Donovan (Lincoln-Way East); soccer players Anna Kois (Stagg), Lauren Pikulski (Lockport Township), Daniel Rohder (Sandburg) and for the second year, Brooke Janeczek (Lockport Township), Drake Silver (Lockport), Abby Tiemersma (Chicago Christian) and Jennifer Warja (Andrew); tennis players Tim Flynn (Marist), Seth Yeager (Lockport) and Brooke Zielke (Shepard), and for the second year, Audrey Stocklen (Shepard) and Mary Stocklen (Shepard); softball players Madi Davis (Lockport) and Karly Krown (Stagg); and volleyball players Karly Andersen (Oak Forest), Amanda Bulow (Oak Lawn) and Lauren Gausselin (Sandburg).
The following teams earned the Academic Team of the Year award for having a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher from the entire school year: Women's basketball, women's cross country, women's soccer, women's tennis, women's volleyball and men's golf.
To earn the ISCC distinction, students must have earned a 3.0 GPA or higher after completing at least 48 credit hours while participating in one of the college's 12 sports. The athletes selected are baseball players Brenden Butler (Oak Lawn), Curtis, Niles Gall (Richards), Samuel Marquez (Argo), Joseph Martin (Evergreen Park), Thomas Moran (Chicago Christian), Matthew O'Shaughnessy (Reavis) and Gerald Powell (Kenwood Academy); basketball players Vito Calace (Brother Rice), Hennessey Handy (Plainfield Central), Nicholas Holmes (Homewood-Flossmoor), Ashley Hunter (Homewood-Flossmoor), Lauren O'Leary (Sandburg), Lawrence Pointer (Homewood-Flossmoor), Julia Ruzevich and Kate Ruzevich (Marist); runners David Alvarez (Sandburg), Rachel Brenner (Oak Forest), Guadalupe Diaz (Reavis), Donovan, Ettore Gaytan (Tinley Park), Granz and Calista Stefaniak (Kennedy); golfers James Goich (Lincoln-Way East) and Sean McKernan (Andrew); soccer players Bedour Elbeitoni (Stagg), James Finn (Stagg), Gustavo Flores (Eisenhower), Janeczek, Michael Kaczmarczyk (Shepard), Daniel Kasaggoma (Uganda), Karl Kosary (Andrew), Karen Montoya (Eisenhower), Rohder, Patricia Rzadkosz (Reavis), Silver, Tiemersma and Warja; and tennis players Jasmine Abunaim (Sandburg), Serene Itani (Shepard), Alex Kokoszka (Shepard), and Audrey and Mary Stocklen.
Janeczek and Curtis also were awarded the Dick Durrant Sophomore Academic Athlete of the Year Award for their high GPAs in the ISCC. Janeczek earned a 4.0 and Curtis had a 3.879.
The All-Conference Freshmen Academic Athletes completed at least 24 credit hours with a 3.0 GPA or higher. Moraine Valley recipients are baseball players Ryan Czajowski (Argo), Michael Dudek (Reavis), Thomas Engraffia (Evergreen Park) and Anthony Insalaco (Lincoln-Way Central); basketball players Erin Greenfield (Sandburg), Alexis Langellier (Lockport), Nicole Poole (Sandburg) and Dean Samara (Sandburg); runner Madison Krisch (Tinley Park); soccer players Ahmed Alassaf (Stagg), Davis, Kois, Reighza Lacaya (Argo), Pikulski, Veronika Stafira (Stagg) and Xochiquetzal Torres (Argo); softball players Angela Abrand (Richards), Morgan Kaminsky (Oak Lawn), Krown, Mariah Martinez (Shepard), Morgan Moran (Stagg) and Darcee Nichols (Lockport); tennis players Flynn, Mateusz Marusarz (Oak Lawn), David Souza (Eisenhower), Yeager and Zielke; and volleyball players Andersen, Amanda Bulow, Taylor Bulow (Oak Lawn), Julia Elsouso (Richards) and Gausselin.
"We're very proud of the achievements and efforts of our student-athletes and how well they represent Moraine Valley. It's not easy to balance school and sports, but these students have worked hard to excel in both. They have a lot on their plate, and we're pleased they've been recognized," said Bill Finn, Athletics director.