2014-15 Year End Summary, Flyers Wrap Banner Year On, Off Course and Court

Whether at work or play, members of the four 2014-2015 Sandhills Community College athletic teams took care of business.

The men’s and women’s golf,  and men’s basketball squads each won Region X titles and competed at the national championships in their sports. Both golf teams and the volleyball team earned National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Academic Team Awards by virtue of compiling an overall team GPA above 3.0.

Individually, golfer Emily Cunningham and volleyball player Amber Goodwin became the Flyer athletic program’s first recipients of the NJCAA Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence. It is awarded to student-athletes with a GPA of 4.00 on a 4.00 scale over a minimum of three semesters.  In the previous two years there were about 170 Pinnacle Award winners from the more than 500 NJCAA member colleges.

With a GPA of 3.955, Peyton Wood, a teammate of Goodwin, has earned the NJCAA Award for Superior Academic Achievement that goes to student-athletes with a GPA of 3.80-3.99.

“The girls come up with goals in the preseason for volleyball and academics because what they are here for first is an education,” volleyball coach Alicia Riggan says.  “We really hold the kids accountable. To have Amber and Peyton earn those awards is super impressive. They were great kids to coach as well. Pictured are Peyton (L) and Amber (R).

I’m really excited not only for us, but the whole athletic program.”

The Flyers’ individual NJCAA academic award winners are highly motivated individuals. Goodwin finished in the top 10 of her senior class at Pinecrest High School and was a member of the 2012 Patriot volleyball team that finished 26-4. Last fall she led the Flyers in kills and blocks and earned All-Region X recognition.

During most of her time as a student at Sandhills Goodwin also held a full-time job. She plans to continue her education at N.C. State in pursuit of a degree in chemical engineering.

I’m pretty excited about it,” she says of the academic honor. “It’s always been my goal to do my best. I always want to make my mother (Kerry Tew) proud in addition to doing it for myself. I’ll always take away the great people I met playing volleyball.”

Wood, who prepped at Flora MacDonald Academy,  is already a student in the nursing program at UNC-Permbroke. She and Goodwin both did some informal tutoring of fellow students at Sandhills. Her sister Kathleen was the first Flyer athlete to win the Superior Academic Achievement Award in 2011 also as a volleyball player.

Last year women’s golf became the first Flyers’ team to earn an NJCAA team award since athletic programs were reintroduced at Sandhills in 2008. Not only did Cunningham earn the Pinnacle Award this year, but teammate Heather Hancock contributed two semesters of 4.0 to the team GPA. The pair was also less than a point apart in their team-leading stroke averages on the golf course.

Cunningham (pictured) is from Winston, Georgia. Hancock is a graduate of nearby Jordan-Matthews High School.

“Those girls are going to be good at whatever they try,” Flyers’ coach Herb Pike says.

Also getting the job done in the classroom was the men’s golf team coached by Gus Ulrich. The Flyers fell two strokes short of earning a second NJCAA Division III national title in a row earlier this month in Chautauqua, New York.

Nick Kroustalis, who came in fifth individually at the national tournament, earning first team All-American honors, finished the year with a GPA of 4.0. Also leading the way to qualification for the Academic Team Award with better than 3.0 GPA’s were Haywood Brantley, 3.74, Ediz Kemaloglu, 3.54 and national tournament runner-up and All-American Brandon Grzyacz, 3.19. 

“The academic success of these teams and individuals speaks to the heart of our mission at Sandhills,” says athletic director Aaron Denton. “I’m especially appreciative of the many hours of hard work and dedication exhibited by our student athletes. Our coaches are also to be commended for their efforts to support our student athletes in the classroom. The heart of any college's effort is the faculty and SCC is fortunate to have one of the best around. Having teams excel both inside and outside of the classroom will remain a focus of our athletic department.”

Also honored recently was Thomas Hardy of the men’s basketball team.  The freshman received the Pinehurst Rotary Club’s Student Achievement Award given out annually to three deserving Sandhills Community College students.

Among the requirements for the $1,000 and two $500 awards are a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5, proof of exemplary service to the Moore/Hoke County and SCC communities and demonstration of high ethical standards and spiritual values.

Hardy is from Gaffney South Carolina. He was voted the Flyers’ best defensive player and was an honorable mention selection on the Region X All-Freshman Team.

Members of the NJCAA Academic Team Award squads - Men’s Golf:  Ediz Kemaloglu, Haywood Brantley, Cody Roberts, Henry McGannon, Brandon Grzywacz, Alex Austin, Nick Kroustalis;

Women’s Golf: Erica Clinard, Heather Hancock, Emily Cunningham, Brianna Newton, Allyson Duranceau;

Women’s Volleyball: Peyton Wood, Dara Forrest, Ashleigh McKenzie, Wendy Wolff, Courtney Grant, Joanna Noah, Tiffany Hicks, Amber Goodwin.

By Charlie Bergmann.