Six From Tech Named Spring GSC All-Academic

Arkansas Tech University saw six of its student-athletes named to 2010 Gulf South Conference All-Academic teams and 30 of its student-athletes earn a spot on the 2010 GSC Academic Honor Roll for spring sports when those honors were released by the league office on Wednesday.

Senior Tyler Taunton of Shreveport, La. (baseball), senior Jonathon Spikes of Danville (men’s golf), junior Ana Morales of Bogota, Colombia (women’s golf), senior Taylor Gates of Paris, Texas (softball), junior Shanda Jimeson of Mansfield, Texas (softball) and junior Jessica James of Lead Hill (tennis) led Arkansas Tech’s contingent of academic award winners by earning a spot on the GSC All-Academic teams for their respective sports.

GSC All-Academic team nominees must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better and must be significant contributors to their teams. Other factors include leadership, community service and extracurricular activities.

In total during the 2009-10 academic year, Arkansas Tech placed 11 of its student-athletes on GSC All-Academic teams. Click here to read about the accolades from the fall sports, and click here to read about Tech’s GSC academic awards for the winter sports.

Student-athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better in order to qualify for the GSC Academic Honor Roll. Arkansas Tech had 63 representatives on the GSC Academic Honor Roll in 2009-10, including 21 from the fall sports and 12 from the winter sports.

Since Tech joined the GSC in 1995-96, 744 Arkansas Tech student-athletes have earned a spot on the GSC Academic Honor Roll.

Taunton (photographed, top right) hit .329 with one home run and 16 runs batted in while helping the Wonder Boys win a school-record 35 baseball games in 2010.

Spikes (photographed, second right) earned his third consecutive GSC All-Academic nod. He was a two-time All-GSC performer on the golf course for the Wonder Boys. Spikes was all-conference in 2007 and 2010. He had a 73.5 scoring average in 2009-10 and 10 career top-five finishes.

Morales (photographed, third right) was named 2009-10 GSC women’s golf co-player of the year and she is a two-time all-conference player. She won three tournaments — the Lyon College Invitational, the Southern Arkansas Invitational and the Natural State Golf Classic — and had a scoring average of 82.2 during the 2009-10 season.

Gates (photographed, fourth right) is making her second consecutive appearance on the GSC All-Academic team. She appeared in 188 career games and started 176 for the Golden Suns. She had 94 career hits, eight career home runs, 53 career runs batted in and 53 career runs scored. Gates was a part of back-to-back GSC West Division championship softball teams at Tech in 2008 and 2009.

Jimeson (photographed, fifth right) is also on the GSC All-Academic team for a second consecutive year. A 2010 All-GSC West Division selection, Jimeson hit .209 with 10 RBIs for the Golden Suns this season. She set a GSC record in 2009 with 29 sacrifice bunts and was a member of Tech’s GSC West Division championship teams in 2008 and 2009.

James (photographed, bottom right) was named 2010 All-GSC West Division after earning 10 singles victories and 10 doubles victories for the Golden Suns tennis team this season. Her play helped Tech reach the GSC Women’s Tennis Tournament for a third consecutive year. James is on the GSC All-Academic team for a second consecutive year.

Below, listed alphabetically by sport, are all 30 of Arkansas Tech’s representatives on the 2010 GSC Academic Honor Roll for spring sports:

BASEBALL
Madison Beaird, Freshman, Russellville
Jeremy Houchin, Senior, Springdale
Matt Johnson, Junior, Grand Saline, Texas
Chris Reese, Sophomore, Gilbert, Ariz.
Tyler Taunton, Senior, Shreveport, La.
Joe Walton, Senior, Inola, Okla.

MEN’S GOLF
Kyle Barton, Freshman, Greenwood
Colton Dillard, Freshman, Farmington
Parker Hale, Freshman, Benton
Matt Johnson, Freshman, Siloam Springs
Jonathon Spikes, Senior, Danville

WOMEN’S GOLF
Alyssia DuVall, Sophomore, Greenwood
Ashley Gourley, Freshman, Farmington
Megan Kelley, Freshman, Greenwood
Kyla McIsaac, Junior, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada
Ana Morales, Junior, Bogota, Colombia
Niki Possage, Freshman, Dardanelle

SOFTBALL
Jessica Fields, Junior, Springdale
Taylor Gates, Senior, Paris, Texas
Shanda Jimeson, Junior, Mansfield, Texas
Amy Kilpatrick, Freshman, Celina, Texas
Natalie Magie, Freshman, Perryville
Whitlee McGill, Freshman, Fayetteville
Lyndsey McVay, Senior, Jonesboro
Morgan Rodgers, Sophomore, Mansfield, Texas

TENNIS
Nina Greenway, Freshman, Monticello
Jessica James, Junior, Lead Hill
Emorie Mallow, Freshman, Keller, Texas
Laura Palomino, Freshman, Irving, Texas
Brittany Turner, Sophomore, Pearcy

 

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