Two Brandon girls spring sports teams were rewarded for living up to the term ‘student-athletes.?
At the Brandon Board of Education meeting Monday, June 13, the varsity softball and varsity girls soccer teams were recognized for earning academic All-State honors.
In order to achieve team academic All-State honors, the team cumulative grade point average must be at least 3.3.
Brandon varsity girls soccer coach Greg Back said it is a challenge for the girls to balance their practice and game schedules with their classwork.
‘They did a good job of taking care of their business,? he said. ‘Not only did they perform on the soccer field and in other sports, but they competed in the classroom.?
Two seniors on the girls soccer team, Jacqueline Back and Janet Soave, also earned individual academic All-State recognition.
In order to achieve that honor, students must be seniors with at least a 3.5 GPA. Back earned a 3.9 GPA, while Soave carried a 3.8 GPA.
Back will attend Ferris State University next season, having earned a scholarship for the women’s soccer team. She will be entering their pharmacy program. Meanwhile, Soave will attend the University of Michigan.
In addition to the Brandon softball team earning academic All-State honors, two Blackhawk seniors, Meridith Dura and Katie Flood, earned individual academic all-state honors.
Dura is expected to attend Michigan State University next season, while Flood will likely attend Tri-State University in Angola, IN, according to Brandon varsity softball coach Carl Gabrielson.
Gabrielson said the team always made sure that their schoolwork was taken care of before competing on the softball field.
‘In my program, education comes first,? he said. ‘We require them to keep their grades up. That wasn’t a problem for the girls this year ? they knew that education came first.?