Six Truett McConnell University athletes were recently honored as 2017-18 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes: Jacob Booke (men's basketball), Christian Davis (men's basketball), Jackson Britton (men's basketball), Sarah Hartshorn (women's basketball), Patrick Wasp (wrestling), and Isaac Padilla (wrestling).
In order to be nominated by an institutions's head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status.
Men's Basketball continued their trend of performance in the classroom. Men's basketball has had 8 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes over the last three years after not having any previously. Men's basketball has also accounted for 18 total AAC All-Academic Team members, including six athletes this year. Both figures lead the conference over the last four years.
Christian Davis produced notable season, as he was named to the AAC All-Academic Team, a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, AAC 1st Team All-Conference, and AAC Defensive Player of the Year. Davis also led the nation in steals and second in the nation in total 3-point field goals made. Davis averaged 14.9 points/game, while shooting 39.4 percent from the 3-point line.
Jacob Booke was named to the AAC All-Academic Team for the second time in his career at Truett McConnell. In addition to being named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete, Booke averaged 9.5 points/game with a field goal percentage of 41 percent.
Jackson Britton, a senior and Business Administration major, was named to the AAC All-Academic Team for the second time in his career at Truett McConnell. This is Britton's second time being named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
For Women's Basketball, junior Sarah Hartshorn was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete for her performance in the classroom. In addition to her naming as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete, Hartshorn was named to the AAC All-Academic team this season for the second time in her career. Hartshorn averaged 6.9 points/game, while shooting 31 percent from behind the arc this past season.
Wrestling also had two athletes, Patrick Wasp and Issac Padilla, named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. This is Padilla's second time being named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and Wasp's first time. Both Padilla and Wasp were also named to the Academic All-Conference team for the third time in each of their careers. Wasp and Padilla helped in creating a new culture for Truett McConnell Wrestling this past sesason, as the program sent two wrestlers to the NAIA Wrestling National Championships for the first time in program history.
