Chiefs' earn Academic All-American honors

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

(Charlotte, NC) - The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) recently announced that 29 Waubonsee Community College student-athletes earned Academic All-American honors for their excellence in the classroom during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Seven student-athletes achieved First Team Academic All-American honors with a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). That quartet includes two-time honoree baseball player Tyler Venditti from Geneva, who achieved the same recognition last year as a freshman. Fellow baseball players Carter Wardell from Aurora (Metea Valley), Michael Maynard from Geneva, Brendan Lawry from Indian Head Park (Lyons Township) and Luca Paolucci from Chicago (St. Patrick's), along with women's tennis player Hailey Wilcox from Geneva, and volleyball and women's basketball player Riane Tomsa from Newark round out the group.

Tyler Venditti Carter Wardell Hailey Wilcox Riane Tomsa Michael Maynard Brendan Lawry Luca Paolucci

Waubonsee also had seven players honored with Second Team Academic All-American status by attaining an overall GPA of 3.80 through 3.99. That contingent consists of two-time recipient Marissa VanWyhe from Waterman (Indian Creek), who also garnered the same status last year while playing both women's soccer and basketball. The other six student-athletes to reach this plateau include volleyball players Sydney Fedderly from Sugar Grove (Kaneland) and Anna Friedlund from DeKalb, baseball player Frank Quinn from Mt. Greenwood (Marist), softball player Skyla Baldwin from Yorkville, women's soccer player Eliana Zagoren from Batavia, women's tennis player Lauren Weber from Oswego (East).

Marissa VanWyhe Sydney Fedderly Anna Friedlund Frank Quinn Skyla Baldwin Eliana Zagoren Lauren Weber

In addition, 15 Chiefs received Third Team Academic All-American recognition with a GPA between 3.60 and 3.79 overall. The group includes a pair of two-time Third Team recipients, softball and women's basketball player Katy Shawke from Geneva and women's tennis player Katie Biard from Elburn (Kaneland). Women's tennis player Valerie Schallmo from Oswego and baseball player Mitchell Stempowski from Batavia, both achieved Third Team recognition after earning Second Team honors last year. In addition, the group consists of golfer and men's basketball player Collmann Aaron from Oswego (East), men's basketball player D.J. Ellis from North Aurora, women's cross country runner Gaby Juarez-Marrufo from Aurora (East), golfer Austen Velaquez from Aurora (Marmion Academy), and softball player Alyssa Eby from St. Charles (North). Rounding out Waubonsee's contingent of Third Teamers were baseball players Malik Binns from Bolingbrook, Van Harrington from Aurora (Metea Valley), Ken Hiltenbrand from Montgomery (Aurora Central), Mitchell Nieweglowski from Aurora (Marmion Academy), Hunter Venditti from Geneva, and Andrew Stefaniak from Lexington Catholic in Kentucky.