Elisa Cecchetti named PC’s top female scholar-athlete
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (June 26, 2017) – The Panhandle Conference, on Monday, announced its academic student-athlete awards for the 2016-17 academic year, and Tallahassee Community College's Elisa Cecchetti was named the Mickey Englett Panhandle Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The award, voted on by the Panhandle Conference's five athletic directors, bears the names of Englett, the former athletic director at Northwest Florida State College, and recognizes academics, citizenship and community service in addition to athletic accomplishments.
Cecchetti, the PC's Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was joined by the conference's top scholar-athletes in cross country, volleyball and women's basketball as nominees for the award.
"Elisa truly is the model student-athlete and emulates what all participants at Tallahassee Community College should strive to be," said director of athletics Rob Chaney.
A native of Bollate, Italy, Cecchetti enjoyed two solid years on the softball diamond for Tallahassee while graduating in May with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She was a first-team all-conference and second-team FCSAA all-state catcher in 2017, appearing in 46 games and batting .359 with one home runs and 27 RBIs.
Despite a demanding schedule, Cecchetti still found opportunities to give back to the Tallahassee community. During the fall term, she made a weekly visit to Sabal Palm Elementary School, where she spent time with kindergarten students. In December, she and her Eagle teammates again thrilled spectators while dressed as elves at the Tallahassee Winter Festival and, in the spring, she helped conduct youth softball clinics for aspiring players in neighboring Jefferson County.
In March, she was recognized by Tallahassee Community College as one of its outstanding female students during Women's History Month.
Cecchetti will pursue a degree in journalism at the University of South Carolina Upstate, where she will also continue her athletic career with the Spartans.
She is the second Eagle to receive the Englett Award. Softball's Megan Oster was the inaugural recipient in 2012.
About the Mickey Englett Panhandle Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
Mickey Englett's hall of fame career in athletics and education spanned more than four decades, including 22 years at Northwest Florida State College, where he served as Director of Athletics and Dean of Student Services until retiring in 2012. In addition to reinstituting the athletic program in 1990, he also coached the Lady Raiders' basketball team from 1991-93, compiling a 57-7 record and winning a pair of Panhandle Conference Championships. During his tenure as athletic director, the Raiders advanced to seven national tournaments and men's basketball won the NJCAA Championship in 1995. Widely known for championing women's athletics at the state and national levels, Englett spearheaded efforts to comply with Title IX during his eight terms as FCSAA Commissioner for Women's Athletics and NJCAA Region 8 Women's Director, all while never compromising the importance of academic standards and integrity.
Mickey Englett Panhandle Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Recipients
- 2016: Audrey-Ann Goudreau, Gulf Coast State College, women's basketball
- 2015: Shannon Toogood, Pensacola State College, softball
- 2014: Nicole Holton, Gulf Coast State College, volleyball
- 2013: Kelly Hayes, Pensacola State College, softball
- 2012: Megan Oster, Tallahassee Community College, softball