By Nicholas Huenefeld/OCCAC Sports Information
The Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) had 51 student-athletes and six teams earn academic recognition from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) this week.
The NJCAA recognizes any student who earns at least a 3.60 GPA with NJCAA Student-Athlete Awards. A 3.60-3.79 GPA earns a student the Exemplary Academic Achievement Award. A 3.80-3.99 GPA earns a student-athlete the Superior Academic Achievement Award, and 4.00 GPA students earn the Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence.
Among the conference's 51 recipients, Owens Community College led all schools with 18 recipients, or 35 percent of the total, while Sinclair Community College and Columbus State Community College each compiled seven recipients. Cincinnati State Technical and Community College came in fourth in the conference with six recipients. Lakeland Community College was fifth with five, while Cuyahoga Community College and Lorain County Community College tied for sixth with four apiece.
In addition to those student-athletes, six teams compiled at least a 3.00 team GPA and achieved NJCAA Academic Team Award status. The top team in the conference was the Owens Community College women's volleyball team, which had a 3.23 team GPA. Next up was Sinclair Community College's women's volleyball team with a 3.21 GPA. The Owens Community College men's golf team posted a 3.19 team GPA and was the best men's team in the conference. Cuyahoga Community College's softball team was the lone school in the conference to earn the award with a 3.17 GPA. The Sinclair Community College baseball team, which posted a 3.06 GPA, and the Owens Community College women's soccer team, which had a 3.03 GPA, also earned recognition.
Below is a list of all 51 student-athletes who earned recognition by school:
Cincinnati State
| Branden Ritter | Cincinnati State | Golf III | Exemplary |
| David Banks | Cincinnati State | Soccer I | Superior |
| Elizabeth Stepaniak | Cincinnati State | Soccer I | Exemplary |
| Hayden Peake | Cincinnati State | Soccer I | Exemplary |
| Kianna Delas | Cincinnati State | Basketball II | Superior |
| Virginia Gerhardstein | Cincinnati State | Volleyball II | Exemplary |
Columbus State
| Abdulkadir Bashir | Columbus State | Cross Country III | Exemplary |
| Colin Dawson | Columbus State | Golf II | Exemplary |
| Emily Howard | Columbus State | Cross Country III | Exemplary |
| Grant Dierksheide | Columbus State | Basketball II | Exemplary |
| Julia Littell | Columbus State | Volleyball II | Exemplary |
| Julia Wynn | Columbus State | Volleyball II | Exemplary |
| Justin Dearth | Columbus State | Golf II | Superior |
Cuyahoga
| Adekunle Popoola | Cuyahoga | Soccer I | Pinnacle |
| Brandon Fatsie | Cuyahoga | Baseball II | Superior |
| Nicole Ferrara | Cuyahoga | Softball II | Pinnacle |
| Windermi Mora | Cuyahoga | Baseball II | Exemplary |
Lakeland
| Anthony Cardaman | Lakeland | Soccer I | Exemplary |
| Hogan Pash | Lakeland | Baseball II | Pinnacle |
| Konstandinos Kafes | Lakeland | Baseball II | Pinnacle |
| Sarah Steigerwald | Lakeland | Softball II | Pinnacle |
| Shardonay Miller | Lakeland | Softball II | Exemplary |
Lorain County
| Brandi Holowecky | Lorain County | Basketball III | Superior |
| Emily Capers | Lorain County | Basketball III | Exemplary |
| Kady Whitsel | Lorain County | Volleyball III | Exemplary |
| Zachary Minney | Lorain County | Baseball III | Exemplary |
Owens
| Ally Mikesell | Owens | Volleyball II | Pinnacle |
| Andrew Reich | Owens | Baseball II | Exemplary |
| Ashley Pleiman | Owens | Volleyball II | Exemplary |
| Casey Gose | Owens | Baseball II | Exemplary |
| Erika Hartings | Owens | Volleyball II | Exemplary |
| Jessica Kreger | Owens | Soccer I | Pinnacle |
| Joseph Cochran | Owens | Basketball II | Exemplary |
| Joseph Swager | Owens | Soccer I | Pinnacle |
| Josiah McCloud | Owens | Soccer I | Exemplary |
| Karit Kitipongpatana | Owens | Golf II | Pinnacle |
| Lydia Yeager | Owens | Soccer I | Exemplary |
| Lynzee Richardson | Owens | Soccer I | Pinnacle |
| Macy Reigelsperger | Owens | Volleyball II | Superior |
| Mikayla Ward | Owens | Basketball II | Pinnacle |
| Sabina Watson | Owens | Softball II | Exemplary |
| Stephen Parker | Owens | Baseball II | Superior |
| William Mullins | Owens | Golf II | Pinnacle |
| Zachary Bobbitt | Owens | Baseball II | Superior |
Sinclair
| Alexandra Petri | Sinclair | Volleyball II | Exemplary |
| Connor Cleary | Sinclair | Baseball II | Superior |
| Erica Oldiges | Sinclair | Volleyball II | Pinnacle |
| Lauren Roetgerman | Sinclair | Volleyball II | Exemplary |
| Madison Schroeder | Sinclair | Basketball II | Exemplary |
| Maya Murray | Sinclair | Basketball II | Superior |
| Sarah Eifert | Sinclair | Volleyball II | Pinnacle |