BATON ROUGE – LSU men’s tennis player Harrison Kennedy won first place to receive the Academic Momentum Award that is presented by the Scholar Baller program in conjunction with the National Consortium of Academics and Sports (NCAS).
Top nominations were categorized based on each student-athlete’s academic improvement and the impact each student-athlete’s academic performance had on his or her classmates, teammates, academic advisors and professors. The award recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated momentous academic improvements in their collegiate careers.
“Most people experience a transition period in college,” Kennedy said. “For some, the transition comes fairly easily. Unfortunately, this was far from the case in my situation. If it wasn’t for a combination of my own hard work, the support of my coaches and the amazing people within LSU’s Academic Center I wouldn’t be where I am today. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way, provided direction and motivation to strive for success while recognizing the importance of an education. I will be eternally grateful.”
In his first semester at LSU, Kennedy struggled with the adjustment from homeschool to college.
After changing his major and working hard during winter and spring intersessions as well as summer school, Kennedy has excelled academically.
Majoring in economics with a concentration in empirical economic analysis, Kennedy raised his grade point average well above a 3.0, earning a spot on the Dean’s List in spring 2015.
Kennedy also participated in the Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills Program and earned recognition for completing the benchmarks of the “Earn Your Stripes” program by completing sessions such as career workshops and community service events. He has also been nominated as the Life Skills “Student-Athlete of the Month” for his work in the community.
Kennedy also serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as the Vice President of External Operations.
“I am thrilled that Harrison is being recognized for his academic improvement,” said Kirstin DeFusco, Assistant Director of Academic Affairs at the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes. “He has really come a long way since the beginning of his college career. Instead of getting discouraged, he found something that he loved and slowly chipped away at his grade point average. He has also become a great role model to other student-athletes through his involvement in the Life Skills Program. He is graduating this semester with a competitive GPA in economics which is one of the most challenging majors at LSU and has been accepted into the Analytics graduate program. Harrison will continue to inspire LSU student-athletes as a tutor at the Academic Center.”
Kennedy continues to balance academics with athletics which includes assisting with tennis operations. He graduated in May and will pursue a Master of Science in analytics at LSU.