Vanderbilt Leads the Way with 106 Athletes on SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
The Southeastern Conference has announced its 2024-25 First-Year Academic Honor Roll, and Vanderbilt University stands out with an impressive 106 student-athletes recognized for their academic achievements. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey revealed the list on Wednesday, highlighting the commitment to academic excellence within the conference. This honor roll recognizes the dedication of freshmen student-athletes who have excelled in the classroom during the 2024-25 academic calendar.
Recognizing Academic Excellence in the SEC
The SEC Academic Honor Roll is a testament to the balance between athletic prowess and academic dedication. To be eligible for nomination, student-athletes must participate in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a sport recognized by their institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form. The criteria for inclusion are rigorous, requiring a grade point average of 3.00 or above for the preceding academic year, or a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution.
According to SEC guidelines, summer coursework is also factored into GPA calculations for honor roll eligibility. The honor roll extends beyond scholarship athletes, encompassing those receiving athletic awards – such as letter winners – and non-scholarship student-athletes who have competed on a varsity team for at least two seasons. Furthermore, nominees must have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours of non-remedial coursework toward a bachelor’s degree and been active members of their team throughout the NCAA Championship segment.
Vanderbilt’s Honorees: A Diverse Group of Achievers
Vanderbilt’s 106 honorees represent a wide range of sports and academic pursuits. A significant contingent from the baseball team earned recognition, including Hudson Bartson, Cody Bowker, Tristan Bristow, England Bryan, AJ DePaolo, Tommy Goodin, Aukia Kea, Mike Mancini, David Mendez, Austin Nye, Aiden O’Connell, Tommy O’Rourke, Mac Rose, Matthew Shorey, and Ryker Waite. Several baseball student-athletes are pursuing studies in Medicine, Health & Society, demonstrating a commitment to both athletic and scientific endeavors.
Men’s Basketball also saw a strong showing, with Jason Edwards, Alex Hemenway, Grant Huffman, Chris Mañon, Devin McGlockton, Hollman Smith, and Tyler Tanner making the list. The Women’s Basketball team was represented by Mikayla Blakes, Leilani Kapinus, and Jane Nwaba.
Other notable representation came from Bowling (Isabel Allen, Sydney Bohn, Saphyre Nofuente), Women’s Cross Country (Lily Kriegel, Claire Peterson, Ellie Wolski), Football (Emmanuel Adebi, Julian Ashby, Hayden Bray, Brycen Coleman, Jamison Curtis, Max Fisher, Tate Hamby, Brail Lipford, Cade McConnell, Jesse Mirco, Josh Raymond, Glenn Seabrooks, Jérémy St-Hilaire, Eli Stowers, and CJ Williams), Men’s Golf (Bowen Ballis, Ryan Downes), Women’s Golf (Claire Henson, Jayden Jevnick, Angelina Tolentino), Lacrosse (Maddie Barkate, Zawadi Brown, McKenna Harden, Grace Hasselback, Izzy Hughes, Jiselle Jenkins, Bailey Lower, Emme Martin, Aly Moss, Jackie Norsworthy, Alexi Nowakowski, Shea Panzik, Katie Poretsky, Kiera Runske, and Anna Szporn), Soccer (Mia Gonzalez, Jessica Hinton, Julianne Leskauskas, Ava Slay), Swimming (Emily Constable, Libby Gilbert, Maya Goel, Amelia Harper, Quinlan Hinerfeld, Abigail Hite, Aubrey Hull, Cole Liffman, Reagan Mathieson, Amelia Peterson, and Merritt Zieminick), Men’s Tennis (Giuseppe Cerasuolo, Dylan Charlap, Jack Ingram, Callum Markowitz, Nicholas Roddy), Women’s Tennis (Jayden Jagolinzer, Trinetra Vijayakumar, Sophia Webster), Track & Field (Kenyah Conner, Isabella Dagrosa, Mackenzie Dagrosa, Josie Donelson, Faith Franklin, Pryncess Jackson, Alima Kassim, Devyn Parham, Jacqueline Rose), and Volleyball (Isabella Bareford, Maddy Bowser, Sydney Conley, Taryn DeWese, Elli Kinney, Hailee Mack, Jackie Moore, and Rachel Ogunleye).
This impressive list underscores Vanderbilt’s dedication to fostering a culture of academic achievement alongside athletic excellence. The university’s commitment to supporting its student-athletes both on and off the field is clearly reflected in these outstanding results. The SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll serves as a powerful reminder that success in collegiate athletics and academics are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary pursuits.
