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 March.
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.
March’s Student-Athletes of the Month are Joey Crappell [Footbal], Kyra Jones [Women’s Swimming & Diving], Kevin Mihic [Men’s Swimming & Diving], Mikayda Mills [Women’s Swimming & Diving] and Curtis Thompson [Men’s Golf]. Jordan Jefferson [Football] was selected as the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Student-Athlete Affairs Athlete of the Month.
Crappell, Jefferson and Mihic are majoring in sports administration, while Jones is a chemical engineering major. Business along with political science and economics are Thompson’s and Mills’ majors, respectively.
Jefferson, a quarterback from St. Rose, capped his junior season with an impressive 10-for-19 performance highlighted by a trio of touchdown passes against Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Before LSU started spring practice last week, Jefferson spoke to an assembly of students at Progress Elementary School about the importance of hard work, reading and how self-discipline can help in the future.
A senior deep snapper from Patterson, Crappell saw action in all 13 games last season. He snapped every punt, field goal and extra point attempt for the Tigers after taking over those duties for the final nine games during the 2009 season. On punt coverage, Crappell recorded three tackles – one each against Florida, Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe.
Jones, a freshman from Katy, Texas, was a two-time Texas state champion and state record-holder in the 100 backstroke prior to LSU. She finished the 2010-11 campaign strong with a season-best of 2:02.27 in the 200 backstroke at the SEC Championships.
A sophomore from Lombard, Ill., Mihic contributed to the distance freestyle and individual medley events. The LSU men’s squad posted its best finish since 2000 with a fifth-place finish at the SEC Championships.
Mills, a freshman from Las Vegas, Nev., comes to LSU as a five-time individual Nevada state champion. She saw action in the sprint freestyle events during the regular season for an LSU women’s team that finished with a 13-4 record and its highest dual win total in program history.
A freshman golfer from Coral Springs, Fla., Thompson will begin competing for the Tigers in Fall 2011. He is one of the nation’s premier prep prospects after winning medalist honors in the stroke play competition at the 2010 United States Junior Amateur Championship.
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.