Another Winning Season for GGC Athletics

The Grizzlies earned titles, honors and a little sweet revenge Georgia Gwinnett College’s athletic teams had another successful year, with five teams advancing to their national NAIA tournament final site and two bringing home national championships – the 17th and 18th additions to Athletics’ burgeoning trophy collection.

Along the way, GGC athletes also earned top individual national and conference honors for their performances in their sports and classrooms.

The MEN’S TENNIS team (22-1) captured its ninth straight national championship after not dropping a point in four

Keiser had outlasted GGC 4-3 at the NAIA Indoor Championships in February.

Two rallies in doubles paved the way for victory in this spring’s rematch. The team of Justine Lespes and Cassidy Mataia won six of its last seven games for a 7-5 triumph on the No. 1 court. Then, Eva Siska and Stephanie Fernandez came back for a 6-4 win on the No. 2 court – clinching the match’s important doubles point that paved the way for the program’s eighth title.

Lespes was named the NAIA tournament’s Most Valuable Player after winning all three of her No. 2 court singles matches and her only completed doubles match. She won all 17 of her singles matches and 15 of her 17 doubles matches in her first GGC season. That earned Lespes first All-American team honors, along with Tereza Koplova (9-3 in doubles; 5-4 in singles) and junior Teodora Jovic (8-3 at No. 1 singles; 4-0 in doubles). Stephanie Fernandez (17-0 singles; 16-1 doubles) garnered second-team recognition.

Elsewhere this spring, the BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL teams advanced to team. Ponder set a program record with a 37-game hitting streak during the season. Earning first All-America team softball honors with Wood was designated player Lindzie Owen, while catcher Sydney Pelaez was a second-team honoree.

Last fall, GGC’s MEN’S SOCCER team had a quarterfinal appearance at the their respective NAIA World Series. Paving the way for this success were record-setting performances by outfielder Ajay Sczepkowski and pitcher Annalise Wood, who were named Players of the Year in their sports. Sczepkowski became the first NAIA player to achieve a season with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Wood was the first pitcher in NAIA history to toss three perfect games in a season.

Sczepkowski joined fellow outfielder Jon Ponder on the first NAIA All-America

NAIA National Championships, led by first-team All-American Karim Tmimi and second-team choice Gianmaria Fiore. The WOMEN’S SOCCER squad quali-

Off the field, four GGC student athletes earned Academic All America team honors in 202223, with tennis player Tereza Koplova and softball player Sydney Pelaez being named Academic All-Americans of the Year. Women’s soccer player Addie Adame became the college’s first, three-time honoree while Stephanie Fernandez was a first-team tennis selection.