student-athlete

July 11, 2022 by mlemon

Ocelots on all teams did outstanding academic work

Schoolcraft College will recognize its top student-athletes on all teams from the 2021-22 year with a ceremony on Friday, July 15. Awards from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) are noted. Congratulations to all!

2021-22 Individual Academic Awards

Student-athlete	Honors
Women’s soccer
Jordan Campbell	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Cailee Corsentino	All MCCAA & All Conference
Riley Graham	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Emily Gurney	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Emma Hughes	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Paige Kroll	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Neysa Lyon	MCCAA All Conference
Adyson McCullough	All MCCAA & All Conference
Taylor Meadows	All MCCAA & All Conference
Ceceilya Mernatti	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Adriana Sapia	All MCCAA & All Conference
Faith Staley	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Men’s soccer
Gavin Brose	NJCAA 1^st; All MCCAA & All Conference
John Evangelista	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Nicklas Lema	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Corey Matthews	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Alex (James) Neville	NJCAA 2nd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Joshua Pierce	All MCCAA & All Conference
Drew Tappen	NJCAA 2nd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Jordan Thomas	NJCAA 2nd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Volleyball
Sedona Coon	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Hannah Folz	NJCAA 1^st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Alexa Richardson	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Valdes, Andrea	All MCCAA & All Conference
Softball
Sophie Bater	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Bridget Bogden	All MCCAA & All Conference
Erin Bressler	All MCCAA & All Conference
Kathryn Koszykowski	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Madelyn Latham	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Kiersten Metz	NJCAA 1^st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Autumn Reed	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Baseball
Cole Atkinson	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Jack Cronyn	All MCCAA & All Conference
Joseph Elwell	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Cooper Gean	All MCCAA & All Conference
Garrett Hall	MCCAA All Conference
Landon Kempainen	All MCCAA & All Conference
Joshua Michaels	MCCAA All Conference
Jonathan Sabuda	All MCCAA & All Conference
Gabriel Smith	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Brandon Strickland	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Women’s bowling
Allison Little	NJCAA 1^st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Lydia Wesenberg	MCCAA All Conference
Men’s bowling
Erik Bunge	NJCAA 3rd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Women’s basketball
Shalah Arder	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Danielle Bryant	MCCAA All Conference
Natasha Carter	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Nour Elzein	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
LaZae Mosley	NJCAA 3^rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Samantha Smith	All MCCAA & All Conference
Justina Szalkowski	NJCAA 1^st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Makaiya Thomas	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Men’s basketball
Ashton Nance	NJCAA 2^nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Devin White	MCCAA All Conference

Teams achieving NJCAA & MCCAA awards for earning a 3.0 (or higher) GPA
Softball	3.35
Women’s soccer	3.18

Award criteria:

NJCAA Academic First Team: 4.0 GPA
NJCAA Academic Second Team: 3.80-3.99 GPA
NJCAA Academic Third Team: 3.60-3.79 GPA
All MCCAA & All Conference: 3.20 or above GPA
All Conference: 3.00-3.19 GPA

June 6, 2022 by mlemon

Ocelots earn national and conference recognition

Schoolcraft College’s student-athletes proved their academic excellence over the past year with recognition by both the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA).

Student athlete Justina — Women’s basketball player Justina Szalkowski has earned a 4.0 GPA for two consecutive academic years.

A total of 16 student-athletes achieved a 4.0 GPA in either the Fall 2021 or Winter 2022 semester. In addition, six student-athletes earned a 4.0 GPA for the entire 2021-22 academic year:

Gavin Brose, men’s soccer
Hannah Folz, volleyball
Allison Little, women’s bowling
Kiersten Metz, softball
Justina Szalkowski, women’s basketball (second year in a row)
Jayden Thurmand, women’s soccer

“I want to congratulate our student-athletes on their outstanding work in the classroom over the past academic year,” said Cali Crawford, Director of Athletics. “Our student-athletes are true multi-taskers with many responsibilities, but they make sure the ‘student’ part of ‘student-athlete’ always comes first.”

Student-athletes who earned a 4.0 in 2021-22

Name	Sport	Semester Earned 4.0	Awards
Gavin Brose	Men’s soccer	Both	NJCAA 1st, All MCCAA & All Conference
Hannah Folz	Volleyball	Both	NJCAA 1st , All MCCAA & All Conference
Allison Little	Women’s bowling	Both	NJCAA 1st, All MCCAA & All Conference
Kiersten Metz	Softball	Both	NJCAA 1st, All MCCAA & All Conference
Justina Szalkowski	Women’s basketball	Both	NJCAA 1st, All MCCAA & All Conference
Jayden Thurmand	Women’s soccer	Both	N/A
Shalah Arder	Women’s basketball	Winter	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Sophie Bater	Softball	Winter	NJCAA 3rd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Tyler Brown	Men’s bowling	Fall	N/A
Jordan Campbell	Women’s soccer	Fall	NJCAA 3rd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Sedona Coon	Volleyball	Fall	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
FaithAnn Dennis	Women’s soccer	Fall	N/A
Joseph Elwell	Baseball	Winter	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Riley Graham	Women’s soccer	Fall	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Emma Hughes	Women’s soccer	Winter	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Kathryn Koszykowski	Softball	Fall	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Madelyn Latham	Softball	Fall	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Miranda McIntosh	Women’s soccer	Winter	N/A
Ceceilya Mernatti	Women’s soccer	Fall	NJCAA 3rd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Carmen Raad	Women’s soccer	Winter	N/A
Drew Tappen	Men’s soccer	Fall	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference
Makaiya Thomas	Women’s basketball	Fall	NJCAA 2nd, All MCCAA & All Conference

Student-athletes must earn at least 24 credits in the year to be considered.

Requirements:

NJCAA Academic 1st Team 4.0 GPA
NJCAA Academic 2nd Team 3.80-3.99 GPA
NJCAA Academic 3rd Team 3.60-3.79 GPA
All MCCAA & All Conference 3.20 or above GPA
All Conference 3.00-3.19 GPA

February 7, 2022 by mlemon

A total of 23 Ocelots from 6 sports will be recognized

Schoolcraft College’s inaugural class to be inducted to the Michigan Alpha Chapter of Theta Chi Alpha, the National College Athlete Honor Society, includes 23 student-athletes representing all 6 sports the Ocelots currently compete in.

To qualify, student-athletes must have completed three full-time semesters with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or above. The Athletic Department will hold an induction ceremony later this semester.

Computers against a wall next to a trophy case — Dedicated space in the Physical Education building is available to help student-athletes with their studies.

“We’re pleased to recognize the excellent work our student-athletes are doing in the classroom and welcome our inaugural class of 23 Theta Chi Alpha inductees,” said Cali Crawford, Director of Athletics. “It’s a testament to the dedication of our student-athletes and our coaches to ensure that academics always comes first.”

The National College Athlete Honor Society, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1996 by then DePauw University head football coach Nick Mourouzis. His goal was to provide outstanding student-athletes with an opportunity to become connected within a fraternal association that aligns their educational and athletic successes for a lifetime.

Amy Proctor, Student Athlete Support System (SASS) Coordinator, serves as advisor for Schoolcraft College’s chapter of Theta Chi Alpha.

Members of Schoolcraft College’s inaugural Theta Chi Alpha class are:

Student-athlete	Sport
Natasha Carter Jack Cronyn John Evangelista Mohamed Hammoud Emma Hughes Allison Little Miranda McIntosh Kiersten Metz James (Alex) Neville Erin O’Neil Autumn Reed Jon Sabuda Jacob Saez Adriana Sapia Brandon Strickland Justina Szalkowski Drew Tappen Andrew Weiss	Women’s Basketball Baseball Men’s Soccer Men’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Women’s Bowling Women’s Soccer Softball Men’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Softball Baseball Men’s Bowling Women’s Soccer Baseball Women’s Basketball Men’s Soccer Baseball

November 22, 2021 by mlemon

Theta Chi Alpha is for student-athletes at two-year schools.

Schoolcraft College has reinforced its commitment to student-athlete academic excellence with acceptance into the National College Athlete Honor Society as the Michigan Alpha Chapter of Theta Chi Alpha.

Theta Chi Alpha recognizes student-athletes from two-year institutions who excel in both the classroom and competition.

“We’re pleased to join the membership of Theta Chi Alpha,” said Cali Crawford, Director of Athletics for Schoolcraft College. “Academics always come first for our student-athletes, and being a part of Theta Chi Alpha will provide an excellent avenue to showcase their achievements in the classroom and in their sports.”

“Academics always come first for our student-athletes, and being a part of Theta Chi Alpha will provide an excellent avenue to showcase their achievements in the classroom and in their sports.”
Cali Crawford, Director of Athletics

In order to be inducted into Theta Chi Alpha, a student-athlete must attend a two-year college that is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) or similar governing body. Honorees also must complete at least three full time semesters and must have achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of a 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale), while also participating in their varsity sport.

Amy Proctor, Student Athlete Support System (SASS) Coordinator, will serve as advisor for Schoolcraft College’s chapter of Theta Chi Alpha. Schoolcraft College will hold its first induction ceremony during the Winter 2022 semester.

Schoolcraft College’s Student SASS program is one of the most comprehensive among community colleges, serving as both a checkpoint and a way to get students back on track.

Dr. Michael Oliver, now Associate Dean of Career Services, helped form SASS in 1997 to help student-athletes succeed.

Dedicated space in the Physical Education building is available to help student-athletes with their studies.

“Many student athletes struggled academically due to the demands of their sport, demands on their time and their academic load,” he said. “Therefore, to help student athletes be successful academically and graduate with a degree, certificate or successfully transfer, Schoolcraft took ownership and proactively developed a comprehensive academic support program aimed at holding student-athletes accountable for their academics and at the same time provide them with the support needed for them to be successful academically while recognizing the importance of their sport.”

As SASS Coordinator, Proctor is the liaison among instructors; coaches; Cali Crawford, Director of Athletics; and the students. Faculty report to her six times a semester (about every two weeks) on the following:

Attendance
Passing
Borderline
Failing

“SASS is here to help student-athletes academically,” Proctor said. “If a student is on the SASS report, coaches, the AD and the student are notified.”

From there, the focus is on finding the root cause of the issue and tailoring an individual solution.

“I work with the student to find out what they need help with,” Proctor said. “Do they need tutoring? An academic coach?”

Proctor generally works to help students improve in five key areas:

Time management
Textbook reading
Memory
Note-taking
Test taking

“We’re committed to helping the students stay on track to get their Associate Degree,” Proctor said. “Generally speaking, if they hit their deadlines, they’ll be OK.”

To help positively reinforce academic excellence, SASS and the Department of Athletics has begun recognizing student-athletes of the month and also held a drive-through student-athlete academic honors celebration in July.

In addition, Schoolcraft College was named the 2020-21 National Junior College Athletic Association Academic Team of the Year in Women’s Bowling for achieving the highest grade point average in their sport. As a team, Schoolcraft compiled a 3.59 GPA.

October 4, 2021 by mlemon

Student Athlete Support System (SASS) helps them stay on track

Attending classes, studying and completing assignments while life’s demands chew up precious time: It’s the plate-spinning act most college students face on a daily basis. For those who participate in sports, with the additional time commitment due to practices, games and travel, sometimes a plate or two crashes to the floor.

Schoolcraft College’s Student Athlete Support System, or SASS, can help pick up the pieces. This program, one of the most comprehensive among community colleges, serves as both a checkpoint and a way to get students back on track.

Dr. Michael Oliver, now Associate Dean of Career Services, helped form SASS in 1997 to help student-athletes succeed.

“I work with the student to find out what they need help with. Do they need tutoring? An academic coach?”
Amy Proctor, SASS Coordinator

Amy Proctor is the SASS Coordinator. Essentially, she’s the liaison among instructors, coaches, the athletic director and, of course, the students. Faculty report to her six times a semester (about every two weeks) on the following:

Attendance
Passing
Borderline
Failing

“SASS is here to help student-athletes academically,” Proctor said. “If a student is on the SASS report, coaches, the AD and the student are notified.”

From there, the focus is on finding the root cause of the issue and tailoring an individual solution.

“I work with the student to find out what they need help with,” Proctor said. “Do they need tutoring? An academic coach?”

Dedicated SASS Coordinator

Proctor is well-qualified for this role. As a former standout swimmer in both high school and college, she knows first-hand the challenges of balancing academics and athletics. Further, she adds 23 years’ experience as a counselor at Farmington Hills Harrison High School, where her responsibilities including helping prospective student-athletes stay on track for NCAA and NAIA eligibility.

Proctor generally works to help students improve in five key areas:

Time management
Textbook reading
Memory
Note-taking
Test taking

“We’re committed to helping the students stay on track to get their associate’s degree,” Proctor said. “Generally speaking, if they hit their deadlines, they’ll be OK.”

Proctor started in the role part-time in March of 2019 ahead of the closure of Farmington Hills Harrison that June.

“I love working with students – I always have,” she said. “Harrison was very special to me, but this has been a perfect fit and is very rewarding.”

Recognizing that students arrive from different academic backgrounds and had different resources, Proctor has implemented some technology-based solutions to aid in success.

“You have to meet the students where they’re at, which is on their phone,” she said. “All of the student-athletes are on the Remind app, so for example I’ll text them about JumpStart! sessions or remind them about class registration. Just making sure they’re taking care of the things they need to take care of.”

Office Hours

Proctor’s office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesday as well as 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students also can scan a QR code at the door of her office in the Physical Education Building to make an appointment.

Throughout the year, Schoolcraft College has about 200 student-athletes on 11 teams. From that, Proctor estimates she sees less than one-fourth of that total.

“Most have the ‘student’ part down really well,” Proctor said. “We want everyone to stay on track, so we’re here to assist those who need a little help now and then.”

Inclusiveness is a key part of SASS as well.

“The SASS program continues to evolve,” Oliver said. “With the addition of academic success coaches through Learning Support Services, student-athletes are provided more in-depth academic support.

“Furthermore, Schoolcraft was proactive in addressing the needs of our athletes with disabilities and worked with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) on allowing for a reduced academic load for our student-athletes with a documented disability so they are able to compete as a student-athlete.”

Visit the SASS web page for more information.

August 9, 2021 by mlemon

As a team, Schoolcraft compiled a 3.59 GPA

Before – and after – the Schoolcraft College women’s bowling team hits the lanes, they hit the books. Hard.

That dedication to academics paid off in a big way as Schoolcraft was named the 2020-21 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Academic Team of the Year in Women’s Bowling for achieving the highest grade point average in their sport.

This is the first time the women’s team has achieved this honor. It’s also the first time any Schoolcraft College team has achieved it since 2015-16 (men’s bowling).

“It’s obviously a very special and prestigious honor when you look at all of the other schools across the country that were eligible for this.”
Patrick Yelsik, Schoolcraft College women’s bowling coach

“It’s obviously a very special and prestigious honor when you look at all of the other schools across the country that were eligible for this,” coach Patrick Yelsik said. “Knowing the kind of young women who we have in our program, it doesn’t come as a total shock.

“Being around them every day, you learn very quickly that it is an exceptional group that has a laser focus and can be borderline perfectionists, and I say that in the highest regard. I’m extremely proud of them.”

As a team, Schoolcraft compiled a 3.59 GPA. Sophomore Allison Little (Livonia Churchill) earned NJCAA Second-Team Academic All-American honors with a 3.98 GPA in 2020-21, as did freshman LeiLani Williams (Carlson) with a 3.92 GPA. Sophomore Amanda Fsadni (Anchor Bay) was named to the NJCAA All-Academic Third Team with a 3.70 GPA.

Student-athletes in all sports face tremendous pressure balancing making time to play the sport they love with their academic load as well as other responsibilities.

“We practice two hours a day, four days a week, and then our tournaments are on Fridays, so it’s not uncommon for those to be 12-to-14 hour days when you factor in travel,” Yelsik said. “Then combine that with the fact that most everyone on our team has some sort of job on top of taking a full-time class load, there is definitely a time management component that they have to be able to successfully navigate, as is the case with any student-athlete.”

A key resource Schoolcraft College has in place to help student-athletes succeed is the Student Athlete Support System, or SASS. This program, one of the most comprehensive among community colleges, serves as both a checkpoint and a way to get students back on track.

The Schoolcraft College women’s bowling team achieved the highest grade point average in their sport in the National Junior College Athletic Association for the 2020-21 season

Amy Proctor is the SASS Coordinator. Essentially, she’s the liaison among instructors, coaches, the Director of Athletics and the students. Faculty report to her six times a semester (about every two weeks) on the following:

Attendance
Passing
Borderline
Failing

“Most of our student-athletes at Schoolcraft College have the ‘student’ part down really well,” Proctor said. “We want everyone to stay on track, so we’re here to assist those who need a little help now and then.”

Yelsik is grateful for her help.

“A big thank you to Amy Proctor, our Student-Athlete Support Services Coordinator, for her tireless work on the academic side of the fence with the students as well as the rest of our Athletic Department Staff and my assistant coach Ashley Schou, who is able to provide much more guidance with homework on those long bus trips than I can,” he said.

Director of Athletics Cali Crawford is understandably proud of the achievement.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment, and full credit to our coaches for setting the right example and proper focus on priorities, to our women’s bowling team student-athletes for putting in the time on their studies and to our support staff for all of their help,” Crawford said. “I have no doubt that these young women are going to continue to be successful with whatever the next step in their journey may be and beyond.”