AACC’s athletic director in February named 47 student athletes to his annual Honor Roll to recognize players with high grade-point averages.

Athletic Director Duane Herr said students with GPAs of 3.0 or higher who were enrolled in 12 or more credits were eligible for the award. He added, however, “Most of our awards are 3.5 or better.”

The fall 2018 list included 24 female athletes and 23 males, including nine players with GPAs of 4.0.

The 4.0 athletes included Women’s Soccer players Hannah Hopkins and Madeline Stevenson, who also plays lacrosse; Volleyball players Serena Hochmuth and Deanna Valerien; Women’s Basketball player Sarah Healy; Softball players Carly Gernert and Emily Raines; Women’s Cross Country runner Heather Verdin; and golfer Luke Schwartz.

Healy, a first-year transfer studies student, said attending study halls to meet with a peer tutor helped her keep her grades up.

“I went to a lot of the [supplemental instruction] sessions, where the successful student athletes teach the ones that are struggling,” Healy said.

Schwartz said efficiently managing his study time helps him keep his high GPA.

“It wasn’t really about how many hours you spend,” he said. “It’s more about making an effort and being efficient about it.”

Men’s Lacrosse player James Dipietro, who made the list, said he hopes the honor will help him win an athletic scholarship to a four-year university.

“For athletes, if you want to play after this, grades are important,” Dipietro said.

Honoree Connor Mackrell, who plays lacrosse, said he “put[s] school first.”

The hardest part about that, he added: “Making sure schoolwork is done before going to practice and not procrastinating until the last minute.”