Of the 20 student-athletes named this week to the CIAA Commissioner’s All-Academic Team, four attend Johnson C. Smith University.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must have completed one full academic year at a CIAA institution, earned a minimum 3.2 grade point average and have excelled as a starter or significant reserve in a CIAA sanctioned sport.
The JCSU student-athletes all made the commissioner’s First Team, which had an average GPA of 3.8. (Second Team members averaged 3.6.)
The JCSU students are:
Jason Stuckey, a tennis standout, was 12-13 overall and 7-3 in the CIAA at the No. 1 singles position. At the CIAA Tennis Championships, he finished as first runner-up in No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles (with partner Aaron Hutcherson). In doubles competition, Stuckey was 11-12 overall and 6-1 in the conference.
Leford Green, the CIAA Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, earned his second All-American honors in NCAA indoor track and field. He established a new personal best in the 200m and the fastest collegiate performance in the nation (20.41 seconds). This season, Green has produced automatic qualifying times for the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 200m and 400m. At the CIAA Outdoor Championships, he was named Championship MVP after placing first in the 200m, 400H, and second in the 400m.
Brittany Laws played at the No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles position on the JCSU Women’s Tennis team. She is a three-time selection to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team (2006, 2007, and 2008). The JCSU women’s tennis team was ranked ninth in the Atlantic Region by the ITA earlier this season (April 3rd) thanks to Laws’ contributions. She was also the salutatorian for the 2009 JCSU graduating class.
Shermaine Williams opened her 100m hurdles outdoor campaign at the Raleigh Relays with a scorching 13.29 in the preliminaries to record the fastest time in the nation for Division II hurdlers. She also placed first in the 100m hurdles at the 2009 CIAA Outdoor Championships with a time of 13.41 seconds. Williams was named Women’s Track Athlete of the Year in the Atlantic Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. She also earned All-American honors for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Williams will represent Johnson C. Smith and the city of Charlotte as the cover athlete for the NCAA Champion Magazine summer edition.
