SM football, cross country teams claim top state academic honors

Smoky Mountain's football and men's cross country team have claimed state academic honors for posting the highest grade-point averages in their sports.

The Mustang football team had a GPA of 3.301 while the men's cross country squad's GPA was 3.822.

"I am very proud of our students and the fact that they're not just good athletes but also good students," Principal Kenny Nicholson said. "They excel not only on the fields but also in the classroom."

The N.C. High School Athletic Association announced the honors as part of its Scholar-Athlete Program. There were 5,871 individuals recognized with GPAs of at least 3.5 and 431 teams honored with GPAs of at least 3.1.

Among fall and winter sports teams, Smoky Mountain and Mount Tabor were the only schools with two squads earning top honors.

"I think that's great," Athletic Director Si Simmons said. "It's a reflection on our coaching staff and our athletes. Student-athlete means a lot at Smoky Mountain."

Six other fall and winter Mustang teams received academic recognition, according to Simmons. They include along with their GPAs:

Cheerleading, 3.267; women's basketball, 3.251; women's swimming, 3.295; men's swimming, 3.431; volleyball, 3.732; and men's soccer, 3.333.

"I've always felt the most important thing is getting a good education," said Tim Hawkins, SM's football coach. "I'm glad to see our football players put forth the effort academically. It reflects well on them. I've always felt when you do well in the classroom it carries over to the athletic field."

"I'm really happy for them," said Lawson Hopper, the school's cross country coach. "All my kids are always studying hard, but I had no idea they were number one in the state. That's a credit to their parents for teaching good study habits and to the young men for studying hard."

Back to Sports: 04/17/03.