GALESBURG — For the second straight year, a school-record number of Carl Sandburg College student-athletes earned awards from the NJCAA for their academic performance. Sandburg had 31 athletes who were named to the 2020-21 NJCAA All-Academic Teams, blowing past the previous record of 22 honorees last year.
Ten Chargers athletes earned NJCAA All-Academic First Team honors for recording a perfect 4.0 grade point average, double the number from a year ago. Nine Sandburg athletes received second-team honors (3.80-3.99 GPA) and 12 earned third-team honors (3.60-3.79 GPA).
Sandburg also had seven sophomore student-athletes who earned NJCAA All-Academic honors each of the past two years.
Seven Chargers squads had at least one NJCAA All-Academic recipient, with baseball, softball and volleyball each having a Sandburg-best five representatives. Three of the Chargers’ honorees were multi-sport athletes.
The following Sandburg student-athletes earned 2020-21 NJCAA Academic Awards
(* denotes honoree each of last two years):
NJCAA ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM (4.00 GPA)
Matheus Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Brasil Objectivo), freshman, men’s soccer
Austin Collinson (Normal, Ill./ West), freshman, baseball*
Alyssa Conness (LaSalle, Ill./LaSalle-Peru), sophomore, softball
Megan Crome (Marshall, Ill./Marshall), freshman, volleyball
Addison Eger (Mendon, Ill./Unity), freshman, women’s basketball
Ben Higgins (Macomb, Ill./Macomb), freshman, baseball*
Kelsey Hobson (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone), volleyball & softball*
Wyatt Mayor (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg), sophomore, men’s soccer
Annie McKim (Yates City, Ill./home-schooled), volleyball & women’s basketball*
Grant Otting (Taylor Ridge, Ill./Rockridge), sophomore, men’s golf
NJCAA ALL-ACADEMIC SECOND TEAM (3.80-3.99 GPA)
Carmyn Baldwin (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown), freshman, volleyball
Tanner Blum (Elmwood, Ill./Elmwood), sophomore, men’s golf*
Parker Bradford (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), freshman, baseball
Jeron Conner (Burlington, Iowa/Notre Dame), freshman, baseball
Courtney Hinton (Monmouth, Ill./United), freshman, volleyball
William Ornduff (Cameron, Ill./United), freshman, men’s golf
Griffin Ronnebeck (East Moline, Ill./United Township), freshman, men’s basketball
Karsen White (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone), freshman, women’s basketball
Trace White (Mount Pleasant, Iowa/Mount Pleasant), sophomore, men’s golf*
NJCAA ALL-ACADEMIC THIRD TEAM (3.60-3.79 GPA)
Cooper Beck (Petersburg, Ill./PORTA), sophomore, men’s golf
Maddi Benson (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora), freshman, softball
Kelynn Boyle (Amboy, Ill./Amboy), freshman, women’s basketball
Emily Cash (Yates City, Ill./Farmington), freshman, women’s basketball
Laney Chiaravalle (Peoria, Ill./Limestone), sophomore, volleyball
Brett Marsh (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone), freshman, baseball
Megan McIntire (Oquawka, Ill./West Central), sophomore, softball
Elly Olson (Altona, Ill./Galva), freshman, volleyball & softball
Sam Scott (Deer Creek, Ill./Deer Creek-Mackinaw), freshman, baseball
Alex Smith (Normal, Ill./West), freshman, baseball
Julia Vosburgh (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock), softball*
Kayla Wolf (Chillicothe, Ill./Illinois Valley Central), freshman, softball