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Top Raiders earn national, state recognition

Tuesday, Jul 15, 2014
Joseph Hunter

The 2013-14 Raider women's golf team finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Seminole State College of Florida student-athletes have received national, state and conference recognition for their outstanding performance on the field during the 2013-14 season.

In total, 17 Raiders earned first-team, second-team or honorable mention distinction across the three sports in which Seminole State competes – baseball, softball and women’s golf. Six athletes received All-National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) nods, two were honored regionally, and four were awarded All-Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) honors. Additionally, 11 Raider student-athletes earned all-academic honors.

Athletics Honors

The Raider women’s golf team was the only team in the nation to place all five participants in the top 10 at the NJCAA National Championship tournament, earning them All-America honors. Sophomore baseball catcher Keith Skinner, who boasted the third-best batting average in the state in 2014 (.402), earned honors at the conference, state, district and national levels. Freshman sophomore pitcher Stephanie Adkins, who held the state’s ninth-best ERA (1.51) in 194.1 innings – the highest usage statewide among pitchers – earned recognition at the conference, state and region levels.

NJCAA All-American:

• Chanya “Phon” Angwarawong, of Thailand: women’s golf, first-team
• Kelsey Jensen, of British Columbia, Canada: women’s golf, second-team
• Essence Biggs, of Beverly Hills, Michigan: women’s golf, second-team
• Julia McQuilken, of Riverview: women’s golf, second-team
• Erika Wardzinski, of Seffner: women’s golf, second-team
• Keith Skinner, of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: baseball, honorable mention

All-District/All-Region:

• Keith Skinner: catcher, named to the NJCAA All-Gulf District baseball team
• Stephanie Adkins, of Orlando: pitcher, named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region softball team

All-FCSAA*:

• Keith Skinner: baseball, first-team catcher
• Ashley Sims, of Brooksville: softball, second-team outfielder
• Austin Hays, of Deleon Springs: baseball, second-team outfielder
• Stephanie Adkins: softball, second-team pitcher

All-MFC*:

• Ashley Sims: softball, first-team outfielder
• Austin Hays: baseball, first-team outfielder
• Keith Skinner: baseball, first-team catcher
• Stefanie Williams, of Sorrento: softball, first-team infielder
• Stephanie Adkins: softball, first-team pitcher
• Abbie Millete, of Jacksonville: softball, second-team catcher
• Justus Labigang, of Fort Pierce: baseball, second-team pitcher
• Rachel Minier, of Orlando: softball, second-team infielder

*All-FCSAA and All-MFC honors are not given in women’s golf.

All-MFC softball honorable mentions went to Haley Brown, of St. Petersburg; Taylor Duggan, of Jacksonville; and Kaylin Santiago, of Orlando. Edwin Bonilla, of Kissimmee, received an All-MFC honorable mention in baseball.

Bonilla was named the MFC Defensive Player of the Year, and he was the statewide FCSAA Baseball Player of the Week for the week of March 4. Adkins (softball) and Labigang (baseball) received FCSAA Pitcher of the Week honors for the weeks of Feb. 18 and April 22, respectively. Angwarawong and Jensen both finished the year ranked in the top 15 nationwide in terms of stroke count average (Nos. 3 and 13, respectively).

Academic Achievements

Raider golfer Kelsey Jensen earned an NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Award for her combined performance on the field and in the classroom. Jensen’s GPA and her stroke average of 79.45 earned her distinction at the Exemplary Academic Achievement level.

In addition, 11 Raider athletes earned All-Academic Team honors at the state level: Abigail Millete; Bailey Knoch, of Clermont; Cailey Chevrier, of Clermont; Kaylin Santiago; Samantha Forsberg, of Oviedo; Stephanie Adkins; Chanya Angwarawong; Caitlin Huiting, of Pompano Beach; Kelsey Jensen; Brooks de Montluzin, of Palm Beach Gardens; and Keith Skinner.

The 2013-14 season was highlighted by a No. 2 national finish for the women’s golf team, the second such final ranking in the program’s six-year history and the fifth overall top-five tournament finish. The baseball and softball teams also had strong seasons, each making it to the FCSAA State Tournament.

For more information, please visit the Raider athletics home page.