WNC Baseball Team Continues Academic Success
Submitted by editor on Thu, 06/26/2014 - 5:13pm
At one of the top junior college programs in the country, baseball comes second to academics. Western Nevada College in Carson City once again made the National Junior College Athletic Association’s list of All-Academic Teams for the 2013-14 school year.
Wildcats coach D.J. Whittemore said that players learn before they arrive at WNC that their academic success is more important than what they accomplish on the diamond.
“Western Nevada College's entire athletic department is rooted in the fundamental belief that these athletes are first and foremost students,” Whittemore said. “Our players understand from the moment they are recruited that academic excellence is not optional. We have had and continue to have excellent leadership among the sophomores that creat the environment that says, ‘It's cool to dominate the classroom and the playing field.’”
Led by NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Award winners Connor Klein, Jeremy Alderman, Joseph Crunkilton and Jacob Bennett, the Wildcats’ collective 3.27 grade point average ranked 11th in the country for baseball teams.
“Three of the four were named all-region as well. It's no coincidence that academics carries over to great performance as a team and individually,” Whittemore said. “Baseball is a thinking man’s game, so naturally we want intelligent players.”
The Wildcats’ GPA was the highest of any college in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. Salt Lake (3.05) was the only other SWAC baseball team to receive the honor.
Teams needed at least a combined 3.0 GPA for its entire roster to earn the NJCAA academic distinction.
Klein, a sophomore infielder, topped the Wildcats with a 3.98 GPA, earning superior academic achievement. Interestingly, Klein’s older brother, Brooks, achieved an identical 3.98 GPA during his sophomore season at WNC in 2011.
The younger Klein just narrowly missed joining the 171 student-athletes nationally who produced 4.0 GPAs.
The NJCAA recognized Bennett, a freshman outfielder, with superior academic achievement, for his 3.82 GPA. Relief pitcher Alderman and outfielder Crunkilton received exemplary academic achievement honors for their 3.68 and 3.67 GPAs, respectively.
Never mind that the Wildcats played 36 of their 58 games on the road, travelling as far as Douglas, Ariz. (968 miles one way) Tucson, Ariz. (849 miles), Rangely, Colo. (751 miles) and Phoenix (728 miles).
“Our team deserves high praise for their willingness to overcome the difficulties of a college baseball season that in our case covered 40,000 miles of travel over 3-plus months,” Whittemore said. “They deserve to call themselves champions just as much for winning the Region XVIII title as being named spring academic team of the year!”
The NJCAA has been recognizing student-athlete success since 1983. Only 3.08 percent of NJCAA student-athletes (1,799) earned individual academic honors.
