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Posted: Jul 15, 2020

Cayuga Student-Athletes Named to NJCAA All-Academic Teams

Cayuga Student-Athletes Named to NJCAA All-Academic Teams

Student-athletes at Cayuga Community College continued a strong tradition of success in the classroom in the 2019-2020 academic year, with 20 students named to national all-academic teams.

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) recently named student-athletes to its All-Academic First, Second and Third Teams, and 20 members of Cayuga's athletic teams landed on the prestigious lists honoring students for distinguished academic performance.

"We're proud of these student-athletes for their academic success, particularly in a year where they overcame the stress of a pandemic and transitioned to taking courses in a distance learning format," said Cayuga President Dr. Brian Durant. "Succeeding at such a high degree in the classroom while also dedicating yourself to competing in one or more sports is an incredible accomplishment. Congratulations to all these student-athletes, and we're confident they will continue to achieve at such a distinguished level."

"Being named to the NJCAA's all-academic teams is a tremendous achievement that shows the dedication of our student-athletes," said Cayuga Athletic Director Pete Liddell. "They push themselves on the field or court, but they know that working toward and earning their degree is the most important part of being a student-athlete. We couldn't be prouder of their commitment and accomplishments."

Student-athletes who earn a minimum overall grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 are eligible to be named to the NJCAA's all-academic teams. 

Cayuga softball player Makayla Titus, of Auburn, was the lone Spartan to earn NJCAA All-Academic First Team by earning a 4.0 GPA in both the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters.

Cayuga student-athletes who made the NJCAA All-Academic Second Team, which requires a GPA of 3.8-3.99, are:

  • Lorenz Behrendt, Berlin, Germany: Men's Soccer;
  • Cassandra Brown, Union Springs: Women's Lacrosse;
  • Daniel Burdaspar, Pamplona, Spain: Men's Soccer;
  • Connor Carr-Mathews, Auburn: Baseball;
  • Jenna Fields, Skaneateles: Golf;
  • Eric Gatewood, Auburn: Baseball;
  • Daisy Townsend, Auburn: Women's Soccer and Women's Lacrosse.

Cayuga student-athletes who made the NJCAA All-Academic Third Team, which requires a GPA of 3.6-3.79, are:

  • Dennis Bates, Oswestry, England: Men's Soccer;
  • Matthew Devlin, Belfast, Northern Ireland: Men's Soccer;
  • Alfie Hipwell, London, England: Men's Soccer;
  • Vladimir Kopchev, London, England: Men's Soccer;
  • Samantha Lackey, Seneca Falls: Women's Lacrosse;
  • Zac Legarretta, Auburn: Baseball;
  • Victoria Mandel, Basom: Women's Soccer, Women's Basketball and Softball;
  • Zach Nickerson, Union Springs: Baseball;
  • Abdias Puac-Perez, Aurora: Men's Soccer;
  • Joshua Smith, Limauady, Northern Ireland: Men's Soccer;
  • Katelyn Stoddard, Auburn: Women's Soccer and Softball;
  • David Wilson, Ancaster, Ontario: Baseball.

The student-athletes who made the NJCAA's all-academic teams were also named NJCAA Region III Academic All-Region, along with Cayuga men's basketball guard Jacob Ramirez, of Bronx.  The NJCAA Region III Academic All-Region requires a minimum GPA of 3.5.