Smart athletes make successful athletes.

A prime example of this is the 16 athletes from Weatherford College who were recently named to the All-Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Academic Team.

To be considered for the elite squad, each recipient must have completed three semesters of college work with a minimum of 36 hours of courses that leads to a degree, all while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher. The student-athlete must have participated in at least one season at the varsity level and lettered in one or more sports.

The Coyote baseball team placed nine players on the list, while softball landed four. The Lady Coyotes basketball team had a pair of selections and the men's team had one.

"We talk every day in our program about being a champion. We have that expectation on the field and in the classroom," said Jeff Lightfoot, WC head baseball coach and assistant athletic director. "Having this many players on the all-academic team is an example of these players accepting the challenge of being a student-athlete.

"They really had to manage their time and set priorities in order to excel at both. It also takes a lot of care and communication from the WC faculty and staff in order to be successful. It's a team effort."

Named from the WC baseball team are Brett Brown, Josh Caraway, Cade Farr, Bryce Hackett, Bryson Hudgens, Maddux Miller, Hunter Rosson, Kyle Warden and Walker Zander.

Honored from the softball team are Natalie Trujillo, Sydney Everhart, Madeline Holder and Emma Garbutt.

Anna Jefferson-Polk and Faith Norman are the honorees from the Lady Coyote basketball team, while Coyote basketball player Marko Jovanovic also made the squad.

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by Rick Mauch