Vaqueros did more than succeed on the field, court and in the water during the fall, they excelled in the classroom as well.

The City College Athletic Department announced that 115 student athletes were named to the academic honor roll for the Fall 2021 semester. Six teams earned a cumulative grade point average of better than 3.00, led by men’s basketball’s 3.41 team GPA and women’s water polo’s 3.21 team GPA.

“We are thrilled with the academic success of student athletes this past semester,” Interim Director of Athletics Jerry Hannula wrote in a Feb. 8 release, “The coaches and support staff work hard to continually stress the importance of doing well in the classroom.”

Women’s and men’s soccer, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball also posted above 3.00 team GPAs. All six programs will be nominated for the California Community College Athletic Association’s Scholar Team Award, which is presented to the team with the highest cumulative GPA in their respective sport.

Of the 115 on the student athlete academic honor roll, 69 also earned a spot on the President’s Honor Roll for a GPA of 3.50 or better and 20 earned a 4.00. To qualify, student athletes must take at least 12 units in addition to donning the Vaquero red and black.

“Having the highest team GPA for the fall semester is an enormous accomplishment and a testament to the type of student athlete we have in our program,” Men’s Basketball Head Coach Devin Engebretsen said.

Women’s Water Polo Head Coach Chuckie Roth echoed those sentiments.

“I think at Santa Barbara City College we try and find great student athletes to represent our school,” Roth said, “and individually I’m proud of my program for their continued academic success.”

Both credited the support system offered by the athletics department as well as the instructors, staff and variety of resources available at City College.

Student athletes are required to attend study hall at least three hours per week and also take part in a mentorship program, which connects athletes to other coaches within the athletic department to help with academic growth. Counseling and eligibility staff also help to plan and ensure educational pathway completion.

“It takes a village, and everyone professionally involved within athletics has a piece of the puzzle that helps our athletes witness their success,” Engebretsen said.

City College has had 20 teams named as CCCAA Scholar Teams since the 1994-95 academic year, and have had a team earn the honor every academic year since 2014-15. The most recent scholar team awards were announced for 2018-19, with the Vaqueros represented by women’s swim and dive, and men’s golf.

“It was a trying semester as we added Covid protocols into the mix, but our student-athletes responded well which is evident by their academic success as well as their athletic success in the fall,” Hannula said.