BATON ROUGE — The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes honored six LSU student-athletes for their academic achievements and community service for the month of October.
Jared Bogany, Richard Dixon, Allison Hightower, Tyson Jackson and Nicole Kantor were selected as the student-athletes of the month for October, while Tina Harris was chosen the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills Student-Athlete of the Month.
Each month, five student-athletes will be honored for their academic improvement, dedication and proven ability. In addition, one student-athlete will be honored through the CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success) program for their volunteerism and commitment to the community.
Bogany is a sophomore centerfielder for the LSU baseball team. The product of George Bush High School in Houston earned Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 13. A 15th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2005 Major League draft, Bogany missed almost a month of his freshman with a wrist injury before returning to hit .319 with six doubles, three triples and 16 RBIs.
A freshman tight end on the Tiger football team, Dickson has started seven games this season after earning his first start against Arizona. The Ocean Springs, Miss., native has three receptions for 83 yards. Against Mississippi State, he had his longest reception of the season with a 55-yard catch.
Hightower is a freshman guard on the Lady Tiger women’s basketball team. The Arlington, Texas, native was a McDonald’s and WBCA high school All-American at Juan Seguin High School. In the McDonald’s All-American game as a member of the West team, she scored nine points, grabbed nine rebounds, had two assists, two blocks and four steals in the win. She also started in the WBCA All-Star game and finished with five points, five rebounds and two steals. She finished her high school career as Seguin High School’s all-time leading scorer with 2,182 points in three seasons.
Having started all eight games this season for the LSU football team, Jackson leads the SEC with 6.5 sacks that have resulted in 31 yards in total losses. Against Louisiana-Lafayette, the defensive tackles from Edgard, La., recorded 1.5 sacks, which is tied for an LSU individual season best. Against Kentucky, he led the Tiger defense with three tackles, a sack and his first career interception. For the season, he has recorded 23 total tackles, including seven solo tackles.
A freshman on the women’s tennis team, Kantor is from Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Mo. When she committed to LSU, she was ranked as the 18th best recruit in the nation by tennisrecruiting.net. In her first season with the Lady Tigers, she advanced to the Round of 32 in the ITA Southwest Regionals before falling to second-ranked Anna Lubinsky of Texas A&M. She also won the Flight “A” consolation finals of the Maryland Invitational.
Harris is a senior member of the women’s track and field team who specializes in the jumps. As a freshman, she earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, she earned All-SEC honors as a sophomore both indoors and outdoors and won the prestigious Penn Relays in 2004.
These are six student-athletes that have gone the extra mile during the past month. For their efforts, they will have their pictures displayed on the wall in the CCACSA.