The honor of being student of the week is normally reserved for students in grade school but this week, we are making an exception due the nature of the great news coming out of Coppin State University. Nine Coppin State softball student-athletes were named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Academic selections for their academic success during the 2013-2014 academic school year.
Representing Coppin State were junior Samantha Denlinger, sophomore Victoria Lopez, sophomore Nicole Malave, sophomore Shelby Mendoza, sophomore Lauren Rogers, sophomore Michelle Saunders, sophomore Danielle Smith, junior Candice Van Horn and senior Gabriel Ziller. Coppin State tied with Delaware State and North Carolina A&T with the most representatives on the All-Academic team.
Denlinger was named the Coppin State Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the annual awards banquet. She is also batting .295 with 16 runs batted in. Smith finished the year with a .297 batting average and an 11-game streak of reaching base in consecutive games. Ziller has hit three home runs this season for Coppin State.
Van Horn is among the league leaders in several offensive categories. She leads the MEAC in runs per game (1.00). She is second in the MEAC and 42nd nationally in slugging percentage (.755). She is also third in the MEAC in home runs per game (0.496), stolen bases per game (0.44) and triples per game (0.97) and she leads the Eagles with a .406 batting average, which is fifth in the MEAC. Van Horn has 10 multi-hit games including a four-hit performance against Howard.
It just goes to show you these students care about their education. Congratulations for being our Indie Soul “Students of the Week.”