HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Coker College is pleased to announce that 22 Cobra student-athletes have been selected by The Division II Athletics Directors Association (DII ADA) as recipients of the 2009-10 DII ADA Academic Achievement Awards presented by WeatherPORT. The Academic Achievement Awards is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.

Ninety-two institutions sent in nominees for the 2009-10 Academic Achievement Awards, while a total of 3,022 student-athletes are being recognized this year. Coker is one of just five institutions from Conference Carolinas to have student-athletes receive this award. Joining Coker are Anderson University, Barton College, Limestone College and Mount Olive.

In order for a student-athlete to receive an Academic Achievement Award, the athletics director of the Division II institution MUST BE a CURRENT dues paying member of the DII ADA.

Also, the student-athlete must:
• have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work
• have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year

The following Coker student-athletes were selected for the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award:

Lotta Aaltonen- Women's Basketball  
Matthew Ammons- Baseball  
Maija Castren- Women's Basketball  
Benjamin Chastain- Men's Soccer  
Justin Collier- Baseball  
Dana Daves- Women's Cross Country  
Rebecca Dillon- Softball  
Christopher Dixon- Men's Soccer   
Frederick Estep- Men's Tennis  
Michael Gore- Men's Basketball  
Sydney Greenwalt- Softball  
Emma Hayes- Women's Tennis  
Henna Koponen- Women's Basketball  
Christopher Marsh- Men's Golf  
Austin McJunkins- Men's Cross Country  
Diego Polo- Men's Golf  
Heidi Rienstra- Women's Basketball  
Juan Vallejo- Men's Tennis  
Whitney Wallett- Softball  
Amanda Warner- Women's Soccer  
Adam Windham- Baseball  
Thomas Wright- Men's Basketball    

About DII ADA: The DII ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the DII ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The DII ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 46th year. For more information on NACDA and the 11 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.