By James Summerlin
Twenty-five of Union University’s spring athletes were named to the list of TranSouth Scholar Athletes by maintaining at least a 3.0 grade point average in their classes while representing their respective schools through athletics.
Softball players receiving the honor include Ali Bozza, junior athletic training major; Brittany Burkett, senior athletic training major; Katie Davis, junior elementary education major; Hailee Edwards, junior elementary eduation major; Samantha Geisler, sophomore pre-professional dentistry major; Caroline George, sophomore social work major; Amber Hayes, senior nursing major; Tobie Joy, junior nursing major; Keaton Kirk, sophomore athletic training major; Stephanie Saunders, sophomore nursing major; and Brooke Thomas, sophomore athletic training major.
Named TranSouth Scholars from the golf team are Brett Barry, sophomore sports management major; Jake Carroll, senior nursing major; Matt Kelley, senior business administration major; Micah Gentle, senior Christian studies major; Tyler Lay, senior sports management major; Ryan Mantooth, junior biology major; and Ben Waits, sophomore business administration major.
Baseball players on the list include Derek Copley, senior physical education and health major; Jared Davis, sophomore biology major; Matt Fike, junior media communications major; Danny Grimm, junior political science major; Kian Jost, junior engineering major; Doug Joyce, junior sports management major; and David Leisey, sophomore elementary education major.
Players called being named to the list is an honor and said it was good to see their hard work in classes pay off.
“It has been tough to keep up with classes because baseball takes up so much time, so it feels pretty good to have the hard work acknowledged,” Jost said. “I’m grateful because there is a lot to take care of when you are a student-athlete. It means that much more knowing that Union has high standards.”
Players said the key to keeping their grades high is working with professors to make up their studies after time away from the classroom.
“The most challenging thing is the class time that is missed,” Barry said. “The amount of time we spend playing our sport takes away from the time in class.”
The feeling of accomplishment athletes have with this honor is knowing a student is balanced in school studies and athletic talent.
“It’s definitely the best accomplishment to be a great student in the classroom and player on the field,” Saunders said.
