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 November.
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.
November’s Student-Athletes of the Month are Simone Heyward [Softball], Bennie Logan [Football], Sean McKinney [Men’s Swimming & Diving], Alex Russian [Football] and Yvette Vlaar [Women’s Tennis]. Janelle Garcia [Gymnastics] was selected as the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills Student-Athlete of the Month.
Communication disorders is Garcia’s major. Logan and Russian are sport are majoring in sport administration, while McKinney and Vlaar are management majors. Sociology is Heyward’s major.
Garcia, a sophomore gymnast from Miami, Fla., will look to compete for a spot in the lineup this season after seeing limited action during the 2010 campaign. A 2010 Scholastic All-American, Garcia has already racked up 35.5 community service honors this fall, the most of any female student-athlete. She has participated in a variety of events ranging from Habitat to Humanity to a MDA Telethon volunteer.
A freshman outfielder from Sacramento, Calif., Heyward put together a stellar fall season from the top of the batting order. She garnered hits in all eight fall contests sparked by five multi-hit efforts en route to a scorching .530 hitting clip. She also scored nine runs and recorded an astounding 17 stolen bases.
Logan, a freshman defensive tackle from Coushatta, La., has seen action in two games as LSU heads into the stretch run with an 7-1 record on the gridiron. He redshirted the 2009 season and was a two-time 2A All-State First-Team performer after earning 3-2A Defensive MVP accolades at Red River High School.
A junior from Round Rock, Texas, Russian has seen action in 17 games as a snapper for both punts and placekicks over the last three seasons after redshirting the 2007 season. He also is a reserve tight end.
McKinney, a freshman diver from Springfield, Va., comes to LSU highly touted as a three-time All-American and 2006 AAU national champion. He qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Regional with a three-meter score of 324.37 Thursday against Florida.
A freshman tennis player from The Netherlands, Vlaar has been successful in both singles and doubles during the fall season. She picked up a Flight B singles at Northwestern’s Wildcat Fall Invite and teamed with Ariel Morton en route to a runner-up doubles consolation finish at the ITA Southern Regional.
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 Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes.