Aggies Repeat as MEAC Academic Performance Rate Award Winners

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 17, 2020) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has received the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Academic Performance Rate (APR) award for a second year in a row.

N.C. A&T posted the conference’s highest APR over the past four academic years to earn the 2019-20 award and, with it, $25,000 for the Department of Athletics.

“We are so pleased with the hard work and focus of our student-athletes, their coaches and our academic support team,” said Earl M. Hilton III, A&T’s athletics director. “Our student-athletes have demonstrated again that they are winners in the classroom and champions on the field.”

The award comes on the heels of MEAC All-Academic honors for members of A&T’s baseball, softball and men’s tennis teams.

The conference recognized 10 Aggie baseball players: seniors Dustin Baber and Evan Gates, redshirt senior Ryne Stanley, juniors Johndre’ Bowser and Ethan Chavis, redshirt juniors Zach McLean and Justin Williams, sophomore Peyton Winebarger, redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Foster and redshirt freshman Connor Knapp.

The MEAC also recognized 10 Aggie softball players: senior Alyssa Smith, juniors Hailee Cutts, Bayleigh Kirby, Samantha Ramirez and Stephanie Williams, and sophomores Jocelyn Bennett, Tivonia Cole, Desttany Parker, Cinsear Saunders and Dominique Varela.

From the Aggie men’s tennis team, the conference recognized fifth-year student Nicolas Arduh, junior Jorge Goenaga and sophomore Vasil Ivanov.

MEAC sophomore, junior and senior student-athletes with a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average, as well as transfer student-athletes who have been in residence at the institution for at least one year, are eligible for All-Academic accolades.

In addition to academic superlatives, the Aggies won MEAC titles in football, men’s indoor track and field, women’s indoor track and field and earned postseason bids in football, volleyball, women’s indoor track and field and men’s indoor track and field.

Because the novel coronavirus pandemic forced the suspension of winter championships and spring sports, the MEAC did not name Talmadge Layman Hill or Mary McLeod Bethune All-Sports Award winners for 2019-20.