by Jake Cormany, Sun Devil Communications Student Intern
Sun Devil Athletics not only prides itself in performance on the field but in the classroom as well. Both men's and women's athletics teams achieved some remarkable feats in academics this past spring semester, including the university's first sweep of the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards in track and field. The average cumulative grade point average (GPA) for all student-athletes was an all-time high (3.18). On top of that, 71 percent of ASU athletes achieved the title of Scholar-Athlete, which is given to those have a cumulative or semester GPA above a 3.0.
There are many female athletes that did remarkable things this semester outside of athletics and they should all be recognized, but there are some that went above and beyond. Two-time All-American jumper Keyasia Tibbs held a 4.00 throughout her collegiate career, thus resulting in the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Award in track – the first ASU female track and field athlete to win the award since 2008-09.
Roberta Liti, who is also on the women's golf team at ASU, has more than excelled on the course and in the classroom. She will go into her final year with a 3.99 cumulative GPA and finished this semester with a 3.94.
"Being a student-athlete is an experience that makes you understand what you truly are passionate about," said Liti. "I have always been told, even in high school, that my ability to fully focus on a task for a long time was the number one factor of my success in the classroom," Liti said. "This is a skill that golf taught me because it requires you to be focused for a long time."
Kelsey Moos, who became the 11th women's basketball player in Pac-10/12 history to earn First-Team Pac-12 All-Academic honors three times, earned both her undergraduate degree in communications (3.93 GPA) and graduate degree in liberal studies (3.94 GPA) in four years.
Mckenzie Grossman has been a standout defender on the soccer field the past three seasons, and will now graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.54. Senior catcher Sashel Palacios has been solid behind the plate in her career, and also has performed very well in the classroom. She had an outstanding 4.17 GPA, and she will be graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 3.41. Her fellow teammate Margaret Stahm also had an impressive academic semester. She was able to achieve a 4.17 semester GPA, and now has a 3.76 cumulative GPA.
"The most important thing about being a student athlete is the fact that I get to represent this university," said Stahm. "I not only prided myself on what I was able to accomplish on the softball field but also on what I was able to accomplish and achieve in the classroom.
"My greatest softball achievement would be the work that I put in for many years to be able to play at a Pac-12 Division I university like Arizona State. Academically, I am very proud of my award this year as a member of the Pac-12 First Team All-Academic squad."
Vaulting and floor routines is not all women's gymnast Corinne Belkoff is good at getting high scores at. She just finished her sophomore year with 4.00 semester and cumulative GPA. Belkoff also posted impressive scores of 9.850 on her floor routine and a 9.750 on her vault.
"Being a gymnast has taught me discipline and perseverance in all aspects of my life, forcing me to strategically organize my time and overcome any challenge I am presented with," said Belkoff. "Academics is always my top priority outside of the gym."
Taking a summer off academically wasn't even an option according to Belkoff.
"I am actually studying abroad in London at the moment with Barrett Honors College, which has been a goal of mine for quite some time," Belkoff said. "In the future I plan to take the LSAT next June, in the hopes of applying to law school at the start of my senior year."
Along with Tibbs, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District runner CJ Albertson helped capture ASU's first sweep of the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. He's also the first to win the men's award from ASU since Nick Happe in 2012-13. Albertson completed his undergraduate degree in exercise & wellness with a 4.00 in just three years, and proceeded to finish his master's in physical education with a 3.86 GPA.
Kodi Justice was not only hitting threes on the court this past season, but in the lecture hall as well, obtaining a semester GPA of 3.26. Tashon Smallwood has not just been racking up tackles as a Sun Devil on the defensive line in his time here so far. Smallwood maintains a 3.06 thus far and finished in the spring with a 3.27. Men's golfer Jared du Toit has upheld a high GPA and definitely a low handicap in his ASU golf career. Du Toit had a 3.47 GPA in his final semester and will graduate with a 3.37.
Sophomore forward Anthony Croston from men's hockey earned the program's first academic honor in a CoSIDA Academic All-District honor with a 3.93 GPA in finance. He also led the team in scoring as the only player to tally double-digit goals (10).
The student-athletes of ASU have set some amazing bench marks this past semester and they are setting a great example for themselves as well as incoming athletes in the coming years. These men and women showed that they can and will compete at the highest level in all that they do.
Sun Devil Athletics not only prides itself in performance on the field but in the classroom as well. Both men's and women's athletics teams achieved some remarkable feats in academics this past spring semester, including the university's first sweep of the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards in track and field. The average cumulative grade point average (GPA) for all student-athletes was an all-time high (3.18). On top of that, 71 percent of ASU athletes achieved the title of Scholar-Athlete, which is given to those have a cumulative or semester GPA above a 3.0.
Women's athletics has created a trend of being successful in the classroom along with playing at a high level on the field, having had 10 consecutive semesters with a GPA above 3.00. They recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.39, surpassing their fall GPA of 3.12. Seven of the women's teams were able to post a semester GPA above a 3.50. Triathlon, beach volleyball, gymnastics, golf, basketball, swimming and diving, and soccer were all of the sports that were able to achieve this accolade.Congrats to the 93 student-athletes from @TheSunDevils that received their degrees this week! https://t.co/AD82Vydhma #NCAAGrads ?? pic.twitter.com/H8r0aErCUb
— NCAA (@NCAA) May 14, 2017
There are many female athletes that did remarkable things this semester outside of athletics and they should all be recognized, but there are some that went above and beyond. Two-time All-American jumper Keyasia Tibbs held a 4.00 throughout her collegiate career, thus resulting in the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Award in track – the first ASU female track and field athlete to win the award since 2008-09.
NCAA individual national champion Monica Vaughn has clearly been impressive on the course since her first day as a Sun Devil. Academically she was equally notable, posting a 3.80 GPA in her final semester, and finishing her time at ASU with a 3.74 cumulative GPA. Her companion on the golf course, junior Sophia Zeeb, was able to finish the semester with a 3.81 and will go into her senior year with at 3.65 cumulative GPA.Albertson & Tibbs Named @Pac12 Track & Field Scholar Athletes of the Year. #Pac12TF
— SunDevilTFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) May 13, 2017
Release: https://t.co/Q4qY2gmxgs pic.twitter.com/xoF6DLtNzr
Roberta Liti, who is also on the women's golf team at ASU, has more than excelled on the course and in the classroom. She will go into her final year with a 3.99 cumulative GPA and finished this semester with a 3.94.
"Being a student-athlete is an experience that makes you understand what you truly are passionate about," said Liti. "I have always been told, even in high school, that my ability to fully focus on a task for a long time was the number one factor of my success in the classroom," Liti said. "This is a skill that golf taught me because it requires you to be focused for a long time."
Kelsey Moos, who became the 11th women's basketball player in Pac-10/12 history to earn First-Team Pac-12 All-Academic honors three times, earned both her undergraduate degree in communications (3.93 GPA) and graduate degree in liberal studies (3.94 GPA) in four years.
Mckenzie Grossman has been a standout defender on the soccer field the past three seasons, and will now graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.54. Senior catcher Sashel Palacios has been solid behind the plate in her career, and also has performed very well in the classroom. She had an outstanding 4.17 GPA, and she will be graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 3.41. Her fellow teammate Margaret Stahm also had an impressive academic semester. She was able to achieve a 4.17 semester GPA, and now has a 3.76 cumulative GPA.
"The most important thing about being a student athlete is the fact that I get to represent this university," said Stahm. "I not only prided myself on what I was able to accomplish on the softball field but also on what I was able to accomplish and achieve in the classroom.
"My greatest softball achievement would be the work that I put in for many years to be able to play at a Pac-12 Division I university like Arizona State. Academically, I am very proud of my award this year as a member of the Pac-12 First Team All-Academic squad."
Congrats to @Margaret_Stahm, @SkylarMcCarty and @seashel_13 who all earned All-Pac-12 Academic honors this season! pic.twitter.com/Da6EgWEXiD
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) May 22, 2017
Vaulting and floor routines is not all women's gymnast Corinne Belkoff is good at getting high scores at. She just finished her sophomore year with 4.00 semester and cumulative GPA. Belkoff also posted impressive scores of 9.850 on her floor routine and a 9.750 on her vault.
"Being a gymnast has taught me discipline and perseverance in all aspects of my life, forcing me to strategically organize my time and overcome any challenge I am presented with," said Belkoff. "Academics is always my top priority outside of the gym."
Taking a summer off academically wasn't even an option according to Belkoff.
"I am actually studying abroad in London at the moment with Barrett Honors College, which has been a goal of mine for quite some time," Belkoff said. "In the future I plan to take the LSAT next June, in the hopes of applying to law school at the start of my senior year."
Men's athletics set a new standard for themselves after this spring semester. They recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.01, marking the first time it has been over a 3.00. Six of the men's athletic teams were able to achieve a semester and cumulative GPA over a 3.00. These teams included cross country, ice hockey, golf, track and field, wresting, and swimming and diving.ICYMI: @corinnebelkoff was named to the @CoSIDAnews Academic All-District First-Team!#WeWillhttps://t.co/j7uz5eQ4JY pic.twitter.com/65iNcnsx9U
— ASU Gymnastics (@ASUGymnastics) May 12, 2017
Along with Tibbs, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District runner CJ Albertson helped capture ASU's first sweep of the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. He's also the first to win the men's award from ASU since Nick Happe in 2012-13. Albertson completed his undergraduate degree in exercise & wellness with a 4.00 in just three years, and proceeded to finish his master's in physical education with a 3.86 GPA.
Kodi Justice was not only hitting threes on the court this past season, but in the lecture hall as well, obtaining a semester GPA of 3.26. Tashon Smallwood has not just been racking up tackles as a Sun Devil on the defensive line in his time here so far. Smallwood maintains a 3.06 thus far and finished in the spring with a 3.27. Men's golfer Jared du Toit has upheld a high GPA and definitely a low handicap in his ASU golf career. Du Toit had a 3.47 GPA in his final semester and will graduate with a 3.37.
Sophomore forward Anthony Croston from men's hockey earned the program's first academic honor in a CoSIDA Academic All-District honor with a 3.93 GPA in finance. He also led the team in scoring as the only player to tally double-digit goals (10).
The student-athletes of ASU have set some amazing bench marks this past semester and they are setting a great example for themselves as well as incoming athletes in the coming years. These men and women showed that they can and will compete at the highest level in all that they do.
Couldn't be more proud of these two guys right here ??????! @obieoleka24 @Torian_Graham pic.twitter.com/jvJRkrdp3y
— Bobby Hurley (@BobbyHurley11) May 12, 2017