Southeastern Conference (SEC) Commissioner Mike Slive announced last Thursday that 41 Ole Miss student-athletes were among 655 named to the 2013 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll. The Rebels’ honorees include 24 football players, 14 soccer players and three volleyball players.
The football team had several multiple-time honorees, including Tyler Campbell, Andrew Ritter and D.T. Shackelford, all of whom earned the honor for the fifth consecutive year for football. The Rebels had an 8-5 overall record and the second straight bowl victory under head coach Hugh Freeze.
Campbell, a first year MBA candidate from Little Rock, said the most difficult part of competing as a student-athlete is effective time management.
“Because of practice and team travel, we have to be disciplined about doing our work whenever we have any free time,” he said.
Ritter, a first year MBA candidate from Jackson, said that an abundance of resources has helped him conquer the challenges of balancing academics with athletics.
“The coaching staff and academic counselors have been a tremendous help and resource for me to acquire and maintain my GPA — specifically, the academic counselors” he said. “I am truly grateful for them.”
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Rafaelle Souza and four-time honoree Erin Emerson made the list for the honor roll from the soccer team. The team posted a 16-6-2 record and made a second-round appearance in the NCAA tournament.
“Even though I love the sport I play, I always say that school comes first,” said Souza, a senior civil engineering major from Salvador, Brazil. “So, I feel really satisfied when I achieve any academic honor.”
Rachael McLamore and Skylar Johnson, both three-time honorees, earned the distinction from the volleyball team.
“It’s an amazing feeling getting recognition for working hard in the classroom, as well as on the court,” said Johnson, a sophomore marketing major from Parker, Colo.
The 2013 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2013 spring, summer and fall terms.
Any student-athlete participating in an SEC championship sport or student-athletes participating in a sport listed on their institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the Academic Honor Roll.
SEC guidelines state that students are named as scholars listed on the academic honor roll based on five criteria.
Student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year or have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution.
Summer school and intersession terms are included in the GPA calculation used to determine eligibility.
Student-athletes eligible include those receiving athletic scholarships, recipients of athletics awards and non-scholarship athletes who have participated as members of a varsity team for two seasons.
Students under consideration must have successfully completed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of nonremedial credit toward a baccalaureate degree at the institution nominating them.
Student-athletes must have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA championship segment.
