Success is not just measured by results on the court or field at Lincoln Trail College athletics, but by their ability to get things done in the classroom as well.

On the heels of the athletic program as a whole finishing with a 3.0 GPA or higher for the 17th consecutive semester, a handful of teams and nearly three-dozen athletes were recognized recently by the National Junior College Athletic Association for their academic prowess during the 2021-22 school year.

“This is tremendous,” Athletic Director Kevin Bowers said. “Making sure that our student-athletes perform in the classroom is a part of our culture at Lincoln Trail College. The coaches want their student-athletes to be successful not just in their sports, but also in the classroom because we’re preparing them here for their futures.”

Five teams were recently named among the 1,061 teams across 29 sports in the NJCAA to earn a GPA of at least 3.0 for the school year.

Among the teams that were on the Academic Team of the Year list were baseball (3.50), men’s soccer, (3.30), men’s golf (3.23), softball (3.13) and women’s basketball (3.01). Baseball and soccer both had GPAs that ranked among the top-10 in the nation in their respective sport.

Meanwhile, there were a total of 9,912 NJCAA student-athletes that earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the 2021-22 school year, with 2,852 receiving First Team honors for receiving a GPA of 4.0. Earning Second Team honors for posting a GPA between 3.80 and 3.99 were another 3,322 student-athletes, while another 4,221 received Third Team honors by finishing with a GPA between 3.60 and 3.79.

A total of 35 LTC student-athletes were named to one of the NJCAA All-Academic teams, including 11 on the First Team.

Those receiving First Team honors were baseball players Wyatt Geesaman, Jack Beverly, Cole McMichael, Sam Seeker and Geon Yoon, men’s soccer players Ezequiel Carunchio and Juan Solivellas, volleyball players Kinley Block and Tori Schopmeyer, women’s basketball player Iyanuoluwa Olalere and men’s golfer Josh Green.

Lincoln Trail also had 10 student-athletes on the Second Team and another 14 on the Third Team.

Named to the Second Team were men’s soccer players Tom Ditchfield, Fernando Gonzalez, Harrison Rudd and Georg Schöttle, baseball players Colby Morse, Zach Frasher, Jake Hutchins and Tyler Larguinho, softball player Kenzie Rice and volleyball player Trista Koertge.

Tabbed to the Third Team were baseball players Charlie Branch, Kade Lassen, Grant Palmer, Shea Hendrixson, Ike Book, Sammy Kestranek, Matt McMahan and John Popp, Kaden Carter and KaCee Fulkerson from the men’s golf team, volleyball player Emma Bailey, women’s basketball player Alaysia Douglas, men’s basketball player Freddy Reeves Jr. and men’s soccer player Abiodun Soneye.