Academic success

We regularly write editorials encouraging support for local athletic teams. As exhilarating as it is to watch these young people compete, it's even better when the athletes earn personal and team recognition for their work off the field of play.

Recently the Southeast Missouri State women's gymnastics team was recognized as the 2012 academic national runner-up, according to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women. This isn't the first time the team has excelled academically. Over the past five years, the team has finished No. 1 or 2 in the academic national championships.

"I stress to them how important their education is and that gymnastics is an avenue to assist them in earning a degree," Southeast coach Kristi Ewasko said. "They each put in hours of studying every day and balance that with their training requirements and personal lives. For them to remain a threat academically each year shows their dedication to academic achievement."

In addition to the team recognition, 12 Southeast gymnasts earned spots on the association's Scholastic All-American team. This recognition is reserved for gymnasts with a 3.5 GPA or higher during the academic year.

Four of the 12 individual honorees from Southeast carried a 4.0 GPA during the 2011-2012 academic year. These individuals are: Emma Garrett, Margaret O'Neal, Kimberly Pickerl and Taylor Westrick. Other honorees include: Erin Brady, Megan Fosnow, Tamara Gent, Emily Mann, Samantha Marrero, Nicole Nickels, Angela Serafini and Taryn Vanderpool.

Congratulations to these student athletes and the team as a whole. Sports are important. They teach us valuable lessons. But as coach Ewasko said, academic success should be a priority. These students, along with athletes in different sports and those balancing equally challenging schedules, have shown an ability to maintain a standard of academic excellence. That's something worth cheering for.