INA, Ill. (August 25, 2025) — Rend Lake College has recognized 38 athletes and six teams for their high academic achievement during the 2024-2025 academic year.
RLC has representation from its volleyball, softball, baseball, men's golf, women's golf and women's basketball teams for the awards. 11 RLC student-athletes earning a GPA (grade point average) of 4.0 on a 4.0 scale are nominated for the NJCAA First-Team Academic Excellence Award, the highest award available. Another 13 athletes earning between a 3.80 and 3.99 GPA are nominated for the NJCAA Second-Team Academic Achievement Award. The last award is for students earning GPAs between 3.60 and 3.79, the NJCAA Third-Team Academic Achievement Award, and RLC has 17 athletes nominated.
Lady Warriors Volleyball led the nominated teams with a total cumulative GPA of 3.75. Eight athletes from the volleyball team were nominated for individual accolades with Breanna Blades, Kaitlyn Dunning, Kennedy Stults, Bree Vollman and Kylea Wilkerson earning First-Team nominations. Monique Hart and Ella Laster earned Second-Team nominations. Ella Wesselmann earned Third-Team.
Softball received the second-highest cumulative GPA with a 3.64. The softball team had 10 members nominated with Taylor Ash, Emma Boyer, Carsyn Clark and Natalie Feather with a 4.0 GPA for First-Team. The Second-Team nominations include Ella Bequette, Alexis Eggemeyer, Addison Harris and Gabrielle Overturf. Rounding out with Third-Team nominations is Haley Friedrich and Hallie Huffman.
Men's Golf received a cumulative GPA of 3.40. Jaden Smith earned a Second-Team nomination, and Schalk Cronje and James Hudgens earned a nomination for Third-Team.
Women's Golf received a cumulative GPA of 3.34. Lauren Lowery earned a First-Team nomination, and Kaitlyn Coombes and Josie Walker earned a nomination for Second-Team.
Warriors Baseball received the fifth-highest cumulative GPA with a 3.31. 12 athletes from the baseball team were nominated for individual accolades with Colin McClure earning a First-Team nomination. The Second-Team nominations include Drew Bradley, Ayden McAtee and Ty Wilzbacher. Tim Cansler, Brady Graskewicz, Pierce Herrenbruck, Cade Kelly, Devin Kiebler, Ethan Landis, Brian Lockhart and Briar Rowland earned Third-Team nominations.
Rounding out the NJCAA All-Academic Teams of the Year is Women's Basketball with a 3.11 cumulative GPA. Four athletes from the Lady Warriors Basketball team were nominated for individual accolades with Maelee Allen earning a Second-Team nomination. Carly Foster, Ramsey Haggard and Alaina Maurer earned Third-Team nominations.