BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Nyah Whittlesey,
Casey Henderson,
Molly Cobb,
Jaycie Walker,
Lucas Batistela,
Andrew Elkins, and
Phillip Spickenbaum have been named to the Gulf South Conference All-Academic teams, while 104 total student-athletes have gained spring academic honor roll honors.
The Warhawks placed 104 student-athletes on the academic honor roll. The 2021 honor roll also featured men's soccer, women's soccer, and volleyball in addition to baseball, softball, men's tennis, and women's tennis.
Softball led the way with 23 representatives on the honor roll, while baseball (19), men's soccer, (18) women's soccer, (16) men's tennis, (9) and women's tennis (7) were well represented in the academic release by the GSC.
Whittlesey (Columbus, Ga.) Started and played in all eight games for the Warhawks and was tied for the team lead in sets played with 30 in a shortened 2020-21 season… led the Warhawks in kills with 103, the lone player to eclipse the 100-kill mark… led AUM with 115 points in her senior season and was second on the team in points per set with a 3.83 tally. A Kinesiology major, she recorded a 3.84 GPA.
Henderson (Montgomery, Ala.) led the team in hitting in 2021 with a .381 average. He slugged one home run while driving in a team-high 40 runs for the Warhawks. The senior started and played in all 41 games and was deployed all over the field for AUM. A Kinesiology major, he recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Cobb (Trussville, Ala.) once again was one of the Warhawks best hitters and propelled her team to their first-ever Gulf South Conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance. Cobb led the team with a .426 average with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. She was named to the NFCA third-team all-American list and was a first-team member on the GSC's all-conference team. An elementary education major, she posted a 4.0 GPA.
Walker (Headland, Ala.) was a force at the plate for the Warhawks as the primary designated player for the Orange & Black in her final season. She finished the year hitting .324 with five home runs and 22 RBIs. She was also named to the D2CCA All-South region team. A Kinesiology major, she tallied a 3.89 GPA.
Batistela (Sao Paulo, Brazil) Played in five games, with two starts to his credit. He accumulated 298 minutes of playing time, with a season-high 75 minutes on two separate occasions while scoring a pair of goals. An Economics major, he recorded a 3.82 GPA.
Elkins (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) Started and played in all five matches. The senior was on the field for all 500 minutes of action and helped lead an AUM defense that gave up just one goal per contest in 2021. He also scored the game-winning goal against Montevallo on Feb. 12. A Kinesiology major, he recorded a 4.0 GPA.
Spickenbaum (Niederkrüchten, Germany) Started and played in all five matches for AUM. He took 12 shots and a team-best five shots on goal and led the Warhawks with eight points. The junior scored a team-high three goals and dished out a pair of assists, and punched in the game-winning goal in the 100th minute of the Warhawks' 2-1 overtime victory over UAH on March 6. An international business major, he tallied a 3.40 GPA.
Academic All-GSC Teams are selected by the Gulf South Conference Sports Information Directors (SIDs) and Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) in a joint vote. Nominees must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 or better on a 4.00 scale for their entire academic career and may not be freshmen or first-semester or quarter transfers. The student-athlete must be a significant contributor to the squad. Other factors include leadership, community service, and extra-curricular activities. SIDs and FARs are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes. The number of student-athletes selected in each sport is determined by the number of positions normally involved in the playing of that sport. Ties are not broken.
A list of all AUM student-athletes named to the honor roll can be found below.
For the latest on AUM athletics, find us on
Facebook,
Twitter , and
Instagram.
