Kirkwood Community College and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) announced student-athletes excelling in both the classroom and on the court. The NJCAA selected Julia Brus and Staci Gillum as Distinguished Academic All-Americans for attaining a grade point average (GPA) of 3.8 or higher.
As a sophomore middle blocker for the volleyball team, Brus was on her way to another great season until suffering a season-ending knee injury. In her freshman outing, she received First Team All-Region and Region XIb All-Tournament Team honors. Studying Business, the Durant, Iowa native ended her final year playing at Kirkwood with an outstanding GPA of 3.96. Brus plans to transfer to the University of Iowa to finish her business degree.
Sophomore women’s basketball guard Staci Gillum from West Des Moines, Iowa studied Physical Therapy and graduated with a 3.81 GPA. She scored an impressive 16 points in the national championship game, including a three-point shot with 53.6 seconds left to secure the win and the fourth consecutive NJCAA Division II National Championship. Gillum will bring her basketball skills and GPA to the University of Evansville.
Kirkwood also had a pair of student-athletes named Academic All-Americans. To be eligible for these honors, they maintained a GPA of 3.6 or higher.
Business student Heather Brus of Durant, Iowa had an overall GPA of 3.77 in her final season as a volleyball player for the Eagles. She received NJCAA Second Team All-American honors after leading the team in kills with 413, and had 100 more digs than any other Kirkwood player with 554. Brus will join the Eagles coaching staff next year while finishing her Business degree, then plans to attend the University of Iowa.
As a forward for the Eagles women’s basketball team, Kalli Hansen of Olin, Iowa achieved a 3.71 GPA, getting her Liberal Arts degree. In the NJCAA Division II National Championship game, Hansen scored 10 points for the Eagles, earning her First Team NJCAA All-American honors for the year. Hansen will continue her education at the University of Iowa where she will be a member of the basketball team.
The Kirkwood Volleyball team was named one of NJCAA’s Fall All-Academic Teams of the Year, with an overall GPA of 3.22.
Kirkwood had many student-athletes receiving Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) 2009-2010 All-Academic honors. The following student-athletes received these honors:
ICCAC First Team All-Region Academics
• Baseball: J.D. Hunter (Iowa City, IA)
• Golf: Kyler Stahle (Solon, IA), Dane Jenkins (Monroe, IA)
• Women’s Basketball: Staci Gillum (West Des Moines, IA), Kalli Hansen (Olin, IA), Kari Goodchild (Van Horne, IA), Andi Waugaman (West Des Moines, IA), Taylor Smith (Leon, IA), Rachael Remick (Hillsboro, IA), Cathy Kain (Des Moines, IA), Cathy Reiter (Buckingham, IA)
ICCAC Second Team All-Region Academics
• Golf: Ned Carter (Iowa City, IA), Dillon Cooney (Muscatine, IA), Jacques Ungerer (Waterkloof, South Africa), JR Plantz (Pocahontas, IA)
• Baseball: Cody Williams (Orion, IL), Bo Murley (Janesville, IA), Nate Schmitt (Bettendorf, IA), Andrew Kraus (Strawberry Point, IA), Ben Bergman (Solon, IA), Ben Weeks (Solon, IA), Jacob Fenton (Bettendorf, IA), Phil Richmond (Cedar Rapids, IA), Brennan Melloy (Bernard, IA), Mark Krismantis (Moline, IL), Billy Kass (Solon, IA)