Claflin Student Athletes Lead All SIAC Schools With Six Team Academic Awards

Claflin University captured six Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) team academic awards as announced during the 2015 SIAC General Assembly on Friday (May 5). The Panthers captured the team awards in softball, men's track, men's basketball, women's cross country, men's cross country and volleyball. The six team awards were the most of all SIAC institutions.

“This is a huge honor not only for Claflin athletics but the University as a whole,” athletics director Dr. Jerome Fitch said. “It shows that the student-athletes understand the importance of academics in addition to succeeding in their respective sport.”

In addition to the six team awards, 12 Panther student-athletes were named to the All-Academic Team. Javan Francis (Men’s Cross-Country and Track), Kendall Jackson (Men’s Cross-Country and Track), Caitlyn Marsh (Volleyball), Jessica Brown (Women’s Basketball), Fare’al Walker (Men’s Basketball), Trisana Fairweather (Women’s Track), Makayla Jackson (Women’s Track), Robert White (Men’s Track), Timothy Geiger (Men’s Track), Kayla Sanderson (Softball), Justin Vreeland (Baseball) and Sixto Guerrero (Baseball) all earned SIAC academic honors.

One hundred and five (105) student athletes across 13 intercollegiate sports were honored as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its all-academic honors for the 2014-2015 academic calendar. The list included 11 multi-sport athletes and 16 student athletes with a 4.0 grade-point-average.

“Being a student athlete in today’s collegiate generation is a tough responsibility,” said SIAC commissioner Gregory Moore. “The ability to be successful both on the field of competition and in the classroom is paramount – not just to their success at the respective institutions, but to their development as future leaders in all walks of life. The time and effort that student athletes commit to both athletics and academics is rigorous and requires great discipline.”