WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The 2010 Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team and sophomore libero Janel Glidden, Lebanon, Mo., recently received academic honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
The team was named one of the 2010-2011 Academic Teams of the Year, and Glidden received the NJCAA Award for Superior Academic Achievement.
“I am extremely proud of Janel and the team for their accomplishments in the classroom,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. “Janel carried a cumulative 3.88 GPA (grade point average) to receive the NJCAA Award for Superior Academic Achievement, formerly known as the Distinguished Academic All-American Award.
“As a team, this group did a great job in the classroom carrying a combined 3.40 GPA,” Wiedemann continued. “This is the culmination of a lot of work put in by our players and everyone who supports their efforts as student-athletes. This team academic honor is shared by the athletes, as well as the staff of the Student Advisement and Academic Support (SAAS) Center and with the PAWS (Promoting Academic Success With Student-Athletes) Program, who work with our players to make them the best students possible. They do a fantastic job!”
For individual student-athlete academic awards, NJCAA officials changed the categories for the awards. Those who have a perfect 4.0 GPA receive the NJCAA Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence; those with a 3.8 to 3.99 receive the NJCAA Award for Superior Academic Achievement; and those with a 3.60 to 3.79 receive the NJCAA Award for Exemplary Academic Achievement.
Implemented in spring 2002, Missouri State-West Plains’ PAWS Program consists of a group of students, faculty and staff who are dedicated to helping student-athletes develop the skills they need to excel in the classroom and provides additional assistance to student-athletes during study hall periods.
Glidden is the Grizzlies’ 11th individual academic award honoree, and the team earned its seventh academic team honor in eight years with its combined grade point average this past year.
Glidden graduated from Missouri State-West Plains in May with an Associate of Arts in General Studies degree and has transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
THE 2010 MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team and one of its members received academic honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The team was named one of the 2010-11 Academic Teams of the Year for posting a combined grade point average (GPA) of 3.40 on a 4.0 scale, and sophomore libero Janel Glidden, Lebanon, received the NJCAA Award for Superior Academic Achievement for posting a 3.8 cumulative GPA. In the team photo, front row from left, Colbi Goff, Mtn. View, Mo., and Glidden. Second row: Lia Havili, Haltom City, Texas; former Assistant Coach Courtney Hendrickson; Head Coach Paula Wiedemann; Athletic Trainer/Strength & Conditioning Coach Keri Elrod; and Samantha Comet, Benton, Ark. Back row: Chloe Blount, Rogersville; Bianca Chatman, Houston, Texas; Lenka Vackova, Decin, Czech Republic; Yuan Fu, Beijing, China; Goda Jankauskaite, Kaunas, Lithuania; Marti Richmiller, Cassville; and Abby Hanger, Belleville, Ill. (Missouri State-West Plains Photo)