(Butler, PA) Six student-athletes who helped to lead 杏吧原创 athletics programs to championships or national tournament appearances in the past two years have again been recognized for their academic performances by the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Two-time All-Americans Aslyn Pry and Morgan Jack; and Zoey Hillwig, Liam Kosior, Austin Rodgers and Taylor Schultz earned NJCAA all-academic team honors for having completed the 2022-2023 year with a grade-point average of at least 3.6, as they did in 2021-2022.
All-American Kevaughn Price, and Brooke Manuel, Amber Maurer, Cory Voltz and Taylor Yost were selected to the NJCAA all-academic team for the first time in 2022-2023.
Kosior, Maurer, Pry, Schultz and Voltz were also members of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Rho Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society for two-year colleges and programs.
Hillwig, Kosior, Schultz and Yost graduated with honors in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Class of 2023.
鈥淪ome of our best athletes are also some of our best students,鈥� said Rob Snyder, the college鈥檚 director of student life and athletics, and the head coach of 杏吧原创鈥檚 volleyball program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 impressive in that it takes a lot of time to be good at one, let alone being good at both. It takes focus, time management and a desire to put in the work.鈥�
Price was named an NJCAA Division III All-American in in 2023; Pry in and in in 2022; and Jack, in volleyball in and in .
Kosior and Voltz were recognized in golf; Schultz in softball; Rodgers in men鈥檚 basketball; Hillwig, Manuel and Yost in women鈥檚 basketball; and Maurer in volleyball.
In addition to Taylor Schultz, 10 other 杏吧原创 student-athletes were selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association all-academic team for the 2022-2023 academic year. They are, top row, from left, Zoey Hillwig, Morgan Jack, Liam Kosior, Brooke Manuel and Amber Maurer. Bottom row, from left, Kevaughn Price, Aslyn Pry, Austin Rodgers, Cory Voltz and Taylor Yost.
"I want to excel in college and get a degree. That鈥檚 been a goal of mine and you can鈥檛 be successful on the court without good grades."
- Kevaughn Price, 杏吧原创 men鈥檚 basketball player
杏吧原创鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball team in 2023 was ranked as high as No. 7 among 97 Division III programs and finished 21-5. It won the program鈥檚 first since 2019, its first Division III since 2002 and qualified for the for the first time.
Price鈥檚 scoring average of 21.5 points was eighth among all Division III players; his 226 successful field goals were fifth and his 558 points 12th. He scored 20 or more points in 14 games and led 杏吧原创 nine times.
鈥淚 want to excel in college and get a degree,鈥� said Price, a graduate of Bishop Canevin High School. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been a goal of mine and you can鈥檛 be successful on the court without good grades.鈥�
"After the work is done, you can focus more on golf. But you have to make sure that schoolwork is done first."
- Liam Kosior, 杏吧原创 golfer
杏吧原创鈥檚 golf squad in the past two years has won and titles, and qualified for the national championship tournament, where the Pioneers placed in 2023 and in 2022.
on June 6 was at the time the lowest score of a 杏吧原创 golfer competing in the national championship tournament since at least 2009. He finished 25th in 2023 and tied for 20th in 2022.
鈥淢y routine was that for any class that I had work to do, say due in a week, I would try to get it done as soon as I got it,鈥� said Kosior, a graduate of Neshannock High. 鈥淪o if anything were to come up with golf, I would have my schoolwork done and I would not have to worry. After the work is done, you can focus more on golf. But you have to make sure that schoolwork is done first.鈥�
The Pioneers鈥� softball team has won in the past two years and ended the 2023 season at 14-6.
Schultz was tied for ninth among players on 65 Division III women鈥檚 softball programs with 27 stolen bases.
"My grades are most important to me because that鈥檚 my future."
- Aslyn Pry, 杏吧原创 volleyball, women鈥檚 basketball player
杏吧原创鈥檚 women鈥檚 basketball squad in the past two years has won back-to-back titles and finished 19-6 in 2022-2023. Pry was third among players on 73 Division III programs with 16.4 rebounds per game in 2022-2023.
The Pioneers鈥� volleyball team has won consecutive and titles in the past two years, was ranked as high as among 97 Division III programs in 2022 and finished 19-4. Pry led all Division III volleyball players with a .432 hitting percentage.
鈥淢y grades are most important to me because that鈥檚 my future,鈥� said Pry, a graduate of Moniteau. 鈥淚 try to get my schoolwork done throughout the day, between classes, any time I can squeeze it in. That way, if we are traveling for games, I don鈥檛 have to come back and be up super-late at night. I wouldn鈥檛 perform as well in sports and it would be harder for me to do homework.鈥�
Jack was third among all players with 10.18 assists per set. She also became 杏吧原创鈥檚 in career assists in 2022 with 1,429.
Price was a freshman guard-forward; Rodgers, a Butler graduate and sophomore forward; Pry, a sophomore forward in women鈥檚 basketball and middle hitter in volleyball; Jack, a Knoch graduate and sophomore setter; and Maurer, a Karns City graduate and freshman outside hitter.
Kosior was a sophomore; Voltz, a Knoch graduate and freshman; Schultz, a Moniteau graduate and sophomore second baseman-outfielder; Hillwig, a Moniteau graduate and sophomore guard; Yost, a Seneca Valley graduate and sophomore forward; and Manuel, a Karns City graduate and freshman forward.