COLUMBUS, Neb. – The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has recognized a record 42 Central Community College student-athletes for academic achievement during 2023-24. The 42 CCC honorees surpasses the previous record of 37 in 2020-21.
Student-athletes who earned a 4.0 GPA were named NJCAA All-Academic First team, while those who posted a GPA of 3.80-3.99 were named NJCAA All-Academic Second Team. The NJCAA All-Academic Third Team is comprised of student-athletes who finished with a GPA of 3.60-3.79.
The CCC men’s soccer team led the way with 14 student-athletes earning NJCAA academic honors followed by volleyball with eight. Softball and women’s soccer each had seven honorees while women’s basketball had three. Golf and men’s basketball each had two.
The Raiders had five teams that earned NJCAA Academic Team of the Year honors for posting a combined 3.0 GPA or better. Volleyball posted a 3.63 GPA while women’s soccer sported a 3.52 GPA. Softball posted a 3.47 GPA and women’s basketball posted a 3.31 GPA. Men’s soccer rounded out the list with a 3.25 GPA.
“I am incredibly proud of our student-athletes who have earned NJCAA academic awards,” said Mary Young, CCC athletics director. “Their dedication and hard work, both on the field and in the classroom, exemplify the true spirit of being a Raider. These achievements reflect CCC’s commitment to excellence in academics and athletics and truly exemplify our mission of maximizing student success.”
The following is a list of each sport and each team members’ specific honor:
Golf
BEATRICE: Carter Murphy, 2nd team;
YUTAN: Jude Elgert, 3rd team.
Men’s Basketball
COLUMBUS: Turner Halvorsen, 2nd team and Ashton LaPointe, 2nd team.
Men’s Soccer
LEXINGTON: Miguel Raymundo, 3rd team and Ernesto Vargas, 2nd team;
OMAHA: Paco Barajas, 2nd team and Steven Esquivel, 1st team;
BATH, ENGLAND: Arlo Stone, 1st team;
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA: Tomas Estrada, 2nd team and Camilo Herrera, 1st team;
BOXTEL, NETHERLANDS: Amin Rahmoune, 1st team;
ENGER, GERMANY: Niklas Thiel, 2nd team;
GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS: Jesse Wubs, 1st team;
HARTBERG, AUSTRIA: Moritz Mauerhofer, 1st team;
LEIKEITIO, SPAIN: Joseba Zabala, 3rd team;
ROSENBACH, AUSTRIA: Tobias Sereinig, 1st team;
VALLADOLID, SPAIN: Jaime Zani, 3rd team.
Softball
COLUMBUS: Addison Heule, 1st team;
FREMONT: Myah Essman, 1st team and Gracie Herman, 1st team;
HOWELLS: Sasha Perrin, 1st team;
LEXINGTON: McKinna Moats, 2nd team;
PRAGUE: Haley Johnson, 1st team;
WAHOO: Tabitha Cooney, 3rd team.
Volleyball
AUBURN: Olivia Swanson, 1st team;
COLUMBUS: Josie Bentz, 1st team and Katee Korte, 1st team;
GORDON: Ajae McKimmey, 2nd team;
HASTINGS: Lauryn Scott, 1st team;
ORD: Ali Miller, 1st team;
PALMYRA: Libbie Ball, 3rd team;
PLEASANTON: Chelsea Fisher, 1st team.
Women’s Basketball
BARTLETT: MaKenna Pelster, 1st team;
GORDON: Ajae McKimmey, 2nd team;
MEAD: Emily Hebenstreit, 1st team.
Women’s Soccer
EAGLE: Lily Krajewski, 1st team;
FREMONT: Thalia Tenny, 3rd team;
GRAND ISLAND: Jade Thompson, 3rd team;
GILLETTE, WYO.: Eagan Clark, 1st team;
LOGAN, IOWA: Jada Cohn, 3rd team;
ENGER, GERMANY: Lilli Reiser, 1st team;
MIDDLEFART, DENMARK: Mathilde Holm-Kristensen, 1st team.
