FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 16, 2010

Contact:  Robert Preston, Jr.,
              912.260.4276
              robert.preston@sgsc.edu

Four Tigers Named Academic All-Americans

The NJCAA National Office in Colorado Springs, Colo., has released the names of the 2009-2010 NJCAA Distinguished Academic All-American and Academic All-American awards, and four South Georgia College Tigers – Stuart Drew, Gerald Jonah, Joel Salazar, and Brittany Yates – made the list. Drew was named Academic All-American, while Jonah, Salazar, and Yates made the Distinguished Academic All-American list.

Drew, a two-year All Conference second baseman for the SGC Tigers baseball team from Douglas, finished the season with a team-best .406 batting average, two home runs, and 41 RBI. He also posted an on-base percentage of .473, another team-best mark, and tallied a .966 fielding percentage. Drew, who has signed with the University of West Georgia, left SGC with a 3.65 GPA.

Jonah and Salazar, both soccer players, have enjoyed distinguished careers while at SGC. A freshman forward from Lawrenceville who is originally from Ghana, Africa, Jonah played in 13 games and scored three goals with three assists while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. His peers also named him SGC’s Best All Around Male at the 2010 Honors Day ceremony. Salazar, a sophomore who will continue his playing career at Delta State, is a native of Colombia. In the 2009 soccer campaign, he had five goals and five assists in 15 games as a defender/midfielder. Salazar posted a 3.95 GPA.

Brittany Yates, a sophomore infielder with the Lady Tigers’ softball team and native of Douglasville, maintained a 4.0 GPA during the 2009-2010 academic year. She hit .280 with four sacrifices for the Lady Tigers and will be back next season.

“Our athletes are role models for all of our students and the local community as a whole. Our primary goal is to make sure our athletes perform well in the classroom first, and these four students have done just that. The same work ethic that drives them to be successful in the classroom leads to success on the field of play. We are very proud of these four student-athletes,” says Rob Brunel, SGC Athletic Director.

“South Georgia College has set very high standards for all of its students, particularly its athletes. These student-athletes have worked very hard over the last year – they have balanced a rigorous practice and game schedule with a demanding academic workload. What they have done is truly remarkable and something for which we are very proud,” says SGC President Dr. Virginia Carson.

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About South Georgia College

South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu) was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty.