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.
Each month, five student-athletes are recognized for their academic improvement, dedication and proven ability. In addition, one student-athlete is chosen through the CHAMPS Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success program for their volunteerism and commitment to the community.
October’s Student-Athletes of the Month are Smylie Kaufman [Men’s Golf], Austin Nola [Baseball], Theresa Plaisance [Women’s Basketball], Patrick Peterson [Football] and Sidney Sanabria-Robles [Gymnastics]. Laura Carleton [Cross Country] was selected as the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Student-Athlete Affairs Athlete of the Month.
Kaufman and Plaisance are majoring in business administration, while Carleton is a management major. Biology and sports administration are Sanabria-Robles and Nola majors, respectively. Peterson is a general studies major.
Carleton, a junior runner from Lake Charles, opened the 2010 season with a team-best, sixth-place finish at the LSU Invitational after appearing in a pair of NCAA South Central Regional meets over the last two seasons. She also was an important part of the team’s effort at the SEC Together We Can Food Drive. The team collected 1,685 of LSU’s 2,457 pounds of food, which equals 1,890 meals to go for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
A freshman golfer from Birmingham, Ala., Kaufman was the 21-ranked recruit in the country for the Class of 2010 by Golfweek. He makes his LSU debut next week at Ohio State’s Jack Nicklaus Invitational He earned six top-10 finishes in American Junior Golf Association sponsored events during his junior golf career and was an alternate at the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
Nola, a junior infielder from Baton Rouge, batted .320 with 16 doubles, two triples, five homers, 50 runs and 52 RBI during the 2010 campaign. An All-SEC Second-Team selection at shortstop, Nola committed only 10 errors in 306 chances and represented LSU at the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National team Trails over the summer.
A freshman forward from Houma, Plaisance and the Lady Tigers basketball team opened practice earlier this week. She comes to LSU as one of the top prep post players in the nation and was rated No. 3 by ESPN HoopGurlz.com at that position. A two-time Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year, Plaisance averaged 7.8 points over five games to help the Americans to a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas 18 Championships.
Peterson, a junior cornerback from Pompano Beach, Fla., has taken his game to a new level to open 2010 after notching Second-Team All-America accolades from the Sporting News a season ago. He is a key member of the NCAA’s fifth-stingiest defense, which has held opponents to 12.4 points per game and led LSU to a 5-0 start on the gridiron. Peterson has made electrifying plays on special teams and returned 12 punts for 283 yards and two TDs. His 23.6 yards per return average is third nationally.
A freshman gymnast from Caguas, Puerto Rico, Sanabria-Robles has represented her nation in several international meets, including the 2008 Pan American Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Argentina where she became the first Puerto Rican gymnast to medal at the competition as she captured the bronze medal on vault.
For putting forth extra effort in the classroom and community in addition to their rigorous academic and competition schedules, these six student-athletes will have their pictures displayed on the wall in the CCACSA.