Lake-Sumter State College is pleased to announce that softball player Emily Kolwicz has been named to the National Scholar-Athlete Team by the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA).
The Scholar-Athlete Awards Program recognizes up to nine male and nine female honorees, one from each district in its membership.
“Being recognized as a member of this national team is a great honor,” says Mike Matulia, LSSC Executive Director of Athletics. “Emily has proven that she is a champion on and off the playing field and the Lakehawks family is proud of her accomplishment.”
Paradise Valley Community College Director of Athletics Christina Hundley, who also chairs NATYCAA’s Scholar-Athlete Committee, said, “It is an honor to recognize these outstanding student-athletes who have excelled in the classroom and on the field. This year was not an easy one and that makes the dedication and accomplishments of these student-athletes that much more commendable. Congratulations and well done to each of these amazing student-athletes.”
Nominees must meet the following criteria to be eligible:
- A minimum 3.6 GPA on a 4.0 scale with a minimum of 36 semester hours or 45 quarter hours with a minimum of 24 semester/36 quarter hours at the nominating institution
- Participation in a minimum of one complete season of varsity competition at the nominating institution
- Outstanding athletics success
- Outstanding qualities of leadership and citizenship
Kolwicz finished her softball career at LSSC as a First Team All Mid-Florida Conference selection and was later named a Second Team All-Region member. In the classroom, Kolwicz earned NJCAA All-Academic status for the second consecutive year with a 4.0 GPA in 2021. The utility player will join the Warner University Royals softball program beginning in the fall of 2021 to continue her education and playing career.
“The amazing thing about Emily Kolwicz is not the athlete, but the person,” says Softball Head Coach Jay Miller. “She had the ability to start at six different positions in softball at the collegiate level, was good enough to be named All-Region as a top player in the state of Florida, and was a top performer in the classroom nationwide. It takes a very special individual to accomplish that and Emily is extremely special. I could not be more proud of her!”
Kolwicz, who is the female representative from District 3, is joined by her male counterpart, John Bear, a cross country runner from Florida State College – Jacksonville.
The district winners not only comprise the Scholar-Athlete Team, but are finalists for the NATYCAA Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award sponsored by Relation Insurance Solutions.