MCCAA Academic Awards

June 24, 2025, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College student-athletes continued to raise the bar in the classroom this year, as 73 Raiders were recognized with Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) All-Academic honors. This marks a significant leap from the 62 honorees last year and more than doubles the 43 student-athletes who earned the honor two years ago.

The academic success was not just individual. Two GRCC teams — men's cross country and volleyball — achieved MCCAA All-Academic Team status after compiling impressive cumulative grade point averages above 3.0, the highest among GRCC's ten athletic programs.

The MCCAA recognizes student-athletes through a variety of academic awards, including Academic All-Conference, Academic All-MCCAA, and MCCAA All-Academic Team honors. These awards celebrate the commitment of student-athletes to excellence both in competition and in the classroom. 

To earn Academic All-Conference honors, student-athletes must earn at least 24 credits with a 3.0 GPA or higher. For Academic All-MCCAA, a student-athlete must earn at least 24 credits with a 3.2 GPA. 

GRCC's Director of Athletics Lauren Ferullo praised the hard work and dedication of Raider student-athletes. "It's inspiring to see the way our student-athletes have embraced the full student experience," Ferullo said. "The jump in academic honors over the past few years is a direct reflection of their commitment, resilience, and the support they receive from our coaches, faculty, and academic resources. We are extremely proud of how they represent GRCC both on the field and in the classroom."

Academic All-Conference (*two-time recipient)
*Collin Fridsma - Baseball
Andrew Conrad - Baseball
Austin Gates - Baseball
Haiden Noakes - Baseball

Maurice Bowman - Men's Basketball

Kalani Stowe - Softball

Katelyn VanAtter - Women's Basketball

*Alexandria Ellsworth - Women's Soccer
*Alena Amaya-Rodguez - Women's Soccer
Eden Palmani - Women's Soccer

Ava Tarsi - Volleyball
Jeanette Desser - Volleyball

Academic All-MCCAA (*two-time recipient)
*Logan VanSurksum - Baseball
*Jacob Pitt - Baseball
*Canyen Veldhouse - Baseball
*Walker Brockie - Baseball
*Andrew Pohlmann - Baseball
*Ty Sandwick - Baseball
Connor Wallace - Baseball
Gavin Mazarka - Baseball
Jack Lockwood - Baseball
Jameson Beale - Baseball
Kyle O'Hearn - Baseball
Kyler Larson - Baseball
Peter Heintz - Baseball

Colin Beckett - Men's Golf
Trevor Hobbs - Men's Golf

Bashir Neely - Men's Basketball
Ethan Bennett - Men's Basketball
Jack Agema - Men's Basketball
Micah Estelle - Men's Basketball
Nicolas Knuutila - Men's Basketball

*Joseph Vanderkooi - Men's Cross Country
Isaac Skinner - Men's Cross Country
John DiPiazza - Men's Cross Country
Micah Nagel - Men's Cross Country
Nathan Fahey - Men's Cross Country
Samuel Pugh - Men's Cross Country
Samuel Spoors - Men's Cross Country

*Cristian Diaz - Men's Soccer
*Reed Kaman - Men's Soccer
Brett Miller - Men's Soccer

*Macey Springer - Softball
*Joslyn Vanderhart - Softball
Grace Chisek - Softball
Lauren Wiley - Softball
Violet McWhinnie - Softball

*Olivia McKellar - Women's Basketball
*Ava Schultz - Women's Basketball, Volleyball
Anna Tubbergen - Women's Basketball, Cross Country

*Elicia Land - Women's Cross Country
*Emily Adamy - Women's Cross Country
Estelle Rockhold - Women's Cross Country
Gloria Gaston - Women's Cross Country
Mariana Zaragoza - Women's Cross Country

*Carle Bruggema - Volleyball
*Sophia Ritsema - Volleyball
Allie McGlothlen - Volleyball
Cecelia Huizingh - Volleyball
Emma Tuttle - Volleyball
Jersey Vanderwall - Volleyball
Joslynne Bogner - Volleyball 
Meredith Simmons - Volleyball
Samantha Baker - Volleyball
Taylor Kik - Volleyball

*Brooklyn Williams - Women's Soccer
Eevi Eskola - Women's Soccer
Janett Jimenez - Women's Soccer
Jenna Verduin - Women's Soccer
Julianna Morales - Women's Soccer
Keaton Morris - Women's Soccer
Olivia Dykstra - Women's Soccer
Sophia Harrison - Women's Soccer

Interested in joining the Raiders or know someone that is? Have them fill out a questionnaire here.

For all the latest news, you can also follow the Raiders on:


  
Interested in supporting GRCC Athletics?  All donations can be done through GRCC Athletic's Scholarship Fund and can specify what scholarship fund the gift is going to, such as the Hofmann scholarship. If you have any questions on how to support Athletics at Grand Rapids Community College, contact the Athletic Department via phone at (616) 234-3883 or email grccathletics@grcc.edu. Any support is appreciated and goes towards assisting our student-athlete scholarship funds.