Five student-athletes at Tusculum College have earned Academic All-American honors in their respective sports.
Cody Coffman has earned honors in baseball, Jill Corum has earned honors in women’s golf, Jenny Grant has earned honors in cross country, Taylor Rakes in baseball and Luis Zamora in men’s tennis. All four have earned honors as part of the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America program and are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
This is the first year of the expanded Academic All‐America® program as CoSIDA moves from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non‐Division I) and doubles the number of scholar‐athletes honored. The teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two‐year schools.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain at least a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Cody Coffman
Cody Coffman
Coffman, a senior from Cape Coral, Fla., has a 3.59 GPA while majoring in physical therapy and was named the first team catcher on the Academic All-America® squad.
He split time at catcher and first base this season, while also seeing action at second base and designated hitter as he was named to the Daktronics DII All-America Team as a utility player. Coffman becomes only the third Tusculum student-athlete in school history to garner both All-America and Academic All-America® distinction.
The All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team catcher led the Pioneers with his .417 batting average. During this season, Coffman posted a 26-game hitting streak, the second longest in school history. He wrapped up his collegiate career reaching base safely in 39 consecutive games, including a home run in his final collegiate at-bat against eventual NCAA regional winner Catawba.
Jill Corum
Jill Corum
Corum has been named to the 2011-12 Capital One Academic All-America® Women’s At-Large Third Team, as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Corum becomes the first player in the women’s golf program to garner Academic All-America® accolades.
Corum competed in 24 rounds for the Pioneers this season and averaged 77.58 strokes per round to rank second on the team, third in the South Atlantic Conference and second-best in program history. She accounted for nine top 20 performances, including six in the top 10. One of those top finishes was her medalist victory at the Agnes McAmis Memorial were she carded a school 36-hole record 141, while claiming her school record fourth individual title.
The Knoxville, Tenn. native was named to the All-SAC First Team and finished eighth at the SAC Championship to claim All-Tournament honors for a second straight year. Corum is a three-time team Most Valuable Player and has the best career stroke average in school history at 80.38.
Academically, the junior has a 3.63 cumulative grade-point average as a business administration major at Tusculum.
Jenny Grant
Jenny Grant
Grant, a junior from Franklin, Tenn., becomes the third female runner in Tusculum cross country history to garner Academic All-America® distinction. She boasts a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Psychology.
Grant proved to be Tusculum’s most consistent competitors on the Pioneer squad in 2011. She finished in the top-30 on two occasions, including a 17th place finish at the Maryville Invitational and 26th at the Guilford College Cross Country Festival. The two-time team most valuable runner followed with her best 5K time of the year at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational with a time of 23:13.3 to finish 49th. She was also Tusculum’s top finisher at the South Atlantic Conference Championship posting a 54th place finish.
She is a member SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, the Dean’s List, Charles Olive Gray Honors List, the Tusculum President’s List and Alpha Chi Honor Society. She is a two-time recipient of the Duffield Award, which honors the Tusculum student-athlete the highest GPA.
In the classroom, she is involved in research with the Psychology Department and presented her findings at the 2012 Southeastern Psychology Association (SEPA) National Conference.
In the community, Grant serves as a peer tutor and is a member of the President’s Society where she serves as a student ambassador, provides campus tours to prospective students and represents students at Presidential board meetings. She also serves as president of the Resident Hall Association and is a member of the TC Track & Field Club.
Other community service activities includes: Voices Against Violence, Psychology Club, International & Multicultural Club, Plaza Towers Retirement Home volunteer, New Hope Cemetery volunteer and the Southeastern Guide Dogs Association, where she has assisted with the raising of a guide dog for those in need.
Within the athletic department, she serves as vice president of the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Council and is also on the Tusculum Student Government Judicial Board.
Taylor Rakes
Taylor Rakes
Rakes, who graduated in May with a bachelor of arts degree in business and economics, was named one of the two first-team pitchers on the Academic All-America roster. He had a 3.89 cumulative grade point average.
Named the 2012 South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete for Baseball, Rakes also earned a spot on the All-SAC Second Team. Rakes enjoyed a stellar campaign after redshirting the 2011 season due to “Tommy John” surgery. He emerged as the No. 2 starter in Tusculum’s weekend rotation, where he posted a 10-1 record with a 3.18 earned run average. His 15 mound starts are tied for the most in a Tusculum single-season and are the seventh most in NCAA II this year and his 10 pitching wins are tied for the third most by a Pioneer, and currently 11th-best in the country.
Rakes is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, President’s List and is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. He is very active in leadership and community service in the Tusculum College and Greeneville community. He has been active with the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Council’s fundraising efforts for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, American Cancer Society and the St. Baldrick’s “Basebald” program to aid childhood cancer research. He has volunteered as a Greeneville Youth Baseball Mentor, served a guest speaker in Tusculum Athletic Training and his experiences with his “Tommy John” surgery and, along with his father, provided free lawn care services for stationed armed forces personnel.
Luis Zamora
Luis Zamora
Zamora was named to the 2011-12 Capital One Academic All-America® Men’s At-Large Third Team, as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Zamora becomes the first player in the history of the men’s tennis program at Tusculum to garner Academic All-America® accolades.
Zamora, a native of Santiago, Chile and a team captain, played primarily at number-three singles and number-one doubles, earning four singles victories and seven wins in doubles for the Pioneers this past season.
In the classroom, the two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete selection boasts a 3.96 cumulative grade point average majoring in business management and economics. He is a multi-year selection to the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, the Charles Oliver Gray Honor List and the Tusculum Dean’s List. Zamora is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society and is a two-time Duffield Award recipient, an honor given to the Tusculum student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA.
An active member in the local community as well, Zamora is heavily involved with groups including the Tusculum Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, “Help Me Help You, Inc.”, the Tusculum Bonner Leader’s Program and the College’s Business Club. He is also in the process of creating a Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at Tusculum, and is the founder and president of the Study Abroad and Global Awareness organization on campus.