TCC quartet garners NJCAA academic honors

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (June 19, 2012) - Four Tallahassee Community College student-athletes received academic honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) on Monday when the NJCAA Headquarters released its 2011-12 academic student-athlete awards. 

Baseball's Matt Duval is a 2012 NJCAA Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence recipient, which honors student-athletes who achieve a perfect 4.00 GPA (on a 4.00 scale). 

Softball's Megan Oster is a 2012 NJCAA Superior Academic Achievement honoree, given to student-athletes whose GPA is between 3.80 and 3.99. 

Baseball's Matt Heckroth and Graham Saiko are 2012 NJCAA Exemplary Academic Achievement Honorees, given to student-athletes whose GPA is between 3.60 and 3.79. 

"I'm extremely proud of these student-athletes," said athletic director Rob Chaney. "It's evident that academics are a priority and each one achieved academic excellence through commitment and self-discipline. 

"It is also a testament to the quality instruction a student-athlete receives while enrolled at TCC, both in the classroom and on their respective field of play." 

To be eligible for NJCAA academic awards, student-athletes must have completed three full-time semesters and a minimum of 45 semester credit hours while participating in at least one season at the varsity level. 

All four TCC honorees have been honors students while enrolled at TCC and either graduated from the College in April or will graduate this summer. 

Duval, a native of High Springs, Fla., was TCC's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2012 and earned all-academic honors from both the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) and Panhandle Conference (PC) in 2011. 

Oster, a native of Clermont, Fla., was TCC's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2012, as well as the PC's Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was also named All-Academic by the FCSAA and PC in 2011. 

Heckroth, a native of Tallahassee, earned all-academic honors from both the FCSAA and PC in 2010. 

Saiko, a native of Newburgh, Ind., previously received the 2012 Buddy Kisner Scholar-Athlete Award, presented annually to the PC's top baseball scholar-athlete.