FGCU student-athletes kept their academic success streak going in the fall semester, earning a collective GPA of 3.32 and surpassing the overall undergraduate student body (3.03 GPA) for the 19th consecutive semester.
Outstanding individual Eagles and teams were recognized for achievements in the scholarly arena Feb. 5 at the 10th Annual Hillmyer-Tremont Foundation Academic Honors Luncheon. The FGCU Athletics Student Development program honored student-athletes who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and have attended FGCU at least two semesters. Among the 66 honorees, 18 earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.
“This continues to remain a highlight of the year, as we recognize the cream of our crop,” said Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh. “Young men and women who have proven themselves with superior accomplishments in the classroom, while balancing such with pursuing the same in their chosen sport and while giving back to greater Southwest Florida as community servants.”
Awards presented by Associate Athletic Director for Academic Affairs Kelly Jean Brock:
- Women’ soccer achieved the highest team GPA for the semester, with a collective 3.53. Six players earned 4.0.
- Women’s tennis again won highest term GPA for an individual sport with 3.67.
- Men’s basketball was recognized as most improved team GPA, rising from 2.88 last spring to a program-best 3.18 in the fall.
- Men’s tennis made the greatest GPA improvement from spring to fall for individual sports, going from 3.04 to 3.39.
FGCU Director of Admissions Marc Laviolette received the Special Recognition Award, presented annually to an individual who has provided superior service and support to students in their pursuit of academic and athletic success.
“Marc is certainly one of FGCU’s unsung heroes who has been a great teammate over the years in our coaches’ pursuits of finding quality student-athletes to come to The Nest,” Kavanagh said in presenting the award.
The Hillmyer-Tremont Foundation recognizes student-athletes primarily from Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties attending FGCU. It is named after Monk Hillmyer, founder of U.S. Homes in Southwest Florida, and Elmer Tremont, Hall of Fame basketball and football coach in Lee County.
The following student-athletes were recognized for earning a cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher for fall (those who earned 4.0 are in bold):
Baseball
- Marc Coffers (Junior / Interdisciplinary Entrepreneur Studies / Naples)
- Kenneth Gilmore (Senior / Communication / Fort Pierce)
- Brian Ellis (Sophomore / Exercise Science / Oviedo)
- Keith Stevens (Senior / Economics /Miami)
Men’s Golf
- Mark Iwinski (Sophomore / Finance / Fort Myers)
Men’s Soccer
- Jahan Rajaee (Junior / Environmental Engineering / Gainesville)
- Thomas Anderson (Junior / Finance / Gainesville)
- Kareem Riley (Sophomore / Legal Studies & Criminal Justice / Couva, Trinidad & Tobago)
- Parker Holland (Sophomore / Health Science / Winter Garden)
- Connor Gavigan (Junior / Psychology / Aurora, Colo.)
- Joshua Morgan (Sophomore / Finance / Atherton, Calif.)
- Raheem Somersall (Senior / Integrated Studies / Basseterre, St. Kitts)
Women’s Basketball
- Chandler Ryan (Junior / Criminal Justice / Groveland, Ill.)
- Alyssa Blair (Sophomore / Accounting / Sun Prairie, Wis.)
- Kerstie Phills (Junior / Health Science / Charlotte, N.C.)
- Tyra Cox (Sophomore / Marketing / Orlando)
- Lisa Zderadicka (Graduate / Educational Leadership / Vienna, Austria)
Beach Volleyball
- Kayla Whetstone (Sophomore / Economics / Arlington, Texas)
Women’s Cross Country
- Bridget Schoffman (Senior / Finance / Eagan, Minn.)
- Madeline Wyers (Sophomore / Interdisciplinary Entrepreneur Studies / Wakeman, Ohio)
Women’s Golf
- Madeline Marck-Sherk (Senior / Exercise Science / Ridgeway, Ontario)
- Jean Tyrrell (Graduate / Marketing / Leawood, Kan.)
- Katherine Williamson (Junior / Deerfield Beach)
- Ailsa Clark (Junior / Exercise Science / Navarre)
Women’s Soccer
- Camille Knudstrup (Senior / Psychology / Lakeland)
- Silvana Gordon (Junior / Health Science / Medford, N.J.)
- Emilie Olsen (Junior / Frekhaug, Norway)
- Lindsey Patton (Junior / Exercise Science / Jacksonville)
- Megan Young (Junior / Bioengineering / White Lake, Mich.)
- Hope Van Wagner (Sophomore / Special Education / Avon, Ind.)
- Petra Smetkova (Junior / Psychology / Korycany, Czech Republic)
- Holly Fritz (Graduate / Biology / Cape Coral)
- Emily Ganeshan (Sophomore / Biology / Pickering, Ontario)
- Zoey Reed-Spitzer (Sophomore / Economics / Naples)
- Kara Kyramarios (Freshman / Nursing / Titusville)
Softball
- Racquel Fournet (Senior / Biology / Windermere)
- Katelyn Kelly (Senior / Child and Youth Studies / Cape Coral)
- Elizabeth Callaghan (Sophomore / Elementary Education / Ponte Vedra Beach)
- Taylor Bauman (Sophomore / Exercise Science / Jacksonville)
Swimming & Diving
- Christina Elmgreen (Senior / Finance / Charlottenlund, Denmark)
- Linda Shaw (Senior / Marketing / Leeds, United Kingdom)
- Hannah Burdge (Senior / English / Stuart)
- Lindsay Manganiello (Senior / Communication / Miami)
- Cassidy Fry (Junior / Marketing / Oakwood, Ohio)
- Karin Schienvar (Junior / Communication / Holmdel, N.J.)
- Doris Eichhorn (Senior / Management / Berlin, Germany)
- Antonia Baerens (Senior / Psychology / Ottobrunn, Germany)
- Rebecca Moynihan (Sophomore / Biology / Palmerston North, New Zealand)
Women’s Tennis
- Julia Ascua (Senior / Accounting / Santa Fe, Argentina)
- Laura Falceto-Font (Senior / Biotechnology / Zaragoza, Spain)
- Bridget Forster (Junior / Exercise Science / Boca Raton)
- Sara Kelly (Sophomore / English / Naples)
- Maja Ornberg (Junior / Communication / Kil, Sweden)
- Sofia Perez (Junior / Management / Alajuela, Costa Rica)
- Patricia Villar (Senior / Psychology / Logrono, Spain)
- Madison Gallegos (Sophomore / Biology / Denver, Colo.)
Volleyball
- Amanda Carroll (Senior / Communication / Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Margaret Rick (Senior / Economics / Alpharetta, Ga.)
- Kaitlan Krivdo (Senior / Resort & Hospitality Management / Hope Mills, N.C.)
- Alayna Ryan (Sophomore / Biochemistry / Fort Myers)
- Cortney VanLiew (Sophomore / Accounting / Seymour, Ind.)
Cheerleading
- Caragan Philips (Senior / Public Relations / Springfield, Ill.)
- Lindsey Kenney (Junior / Elementary Education / Muskego, Wis.)
- Melissa Mazurkiewicz (Health Science / Fort Myers)
- Jamie Cohen (Senior / Communication / Winter Garden)
- Theresa Tedesco (Sophomore / Nursing / Rutland, Vt.)