The Hillsdale College men's basketball game continues to hold itself to the highest standards -- and not just on the court.
That fact was proven once again on Thursday, July 21 as the Chargers were one of over 300 programs across all divisions of collegiate men's basketball to receive the NABC Team Academic Award, its fifth season receiving the honor, while also putting eight players on the NABC Honors Court for 2022-23.
In order to earn the Team Academic Award from the NABC, a team's combined GPA must be 3.0 or greater, a mark the Chargers easily exceeded in the past year. To receive a spot on the Honors Court, players must be a junior or senior and possess a minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA.
On the court in 2022-23, Hillsdale put together another excellent season, recording 23 wins and qualifying for the NCAA DII Tournament for an unprecedented third-straight campaign, but their work as a group in the classroom stood out equally. 12 of Hillsdale's 16 rostered players finished the 2022-23 school year with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, including eight upperclassmen and every one of Hillsdale's five starters.
Six of Hillsdale's eight Honors Court recipients were repeat winners, including three three-time honorees in seniors Jack Gohlke, Peter Kalthoff and Jacob Ngobi. Gohlke graduated this spring with a degree in Accounting, Kalthoff a degree in English, and Ngobi a degree in Biology, and all three players played important roles in an unprecedented run of success over their careers at Hillsdale.
Joining that trio as repeat honorees for the Chargers were seniors Cole Nau and Kyle Goessler, both Accounting majors who graduated this past spring, and Financial Management major Noah Applegate, who also earned his degree in May.
Hillsdale also had two first-time honorees in redshirt sophomores Charles Woodhams and Samuel Vasiu, who both put up strong performances in the classroom as well and who will return to play for the Chargers in the 2023-24 campaign this winter.
Hillsdale was one of three G-MAC teams to earn the NABC Team Academic Award, along with Cedarville and Findlay.
The Chargers will look to keep its string of NCAA DII Tournament appearances intact this fall with a young but talented squad taking to the court under first-year head coach Keven Bradley.
Photo by David Dermer