MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama Department of Athletics had a group of 15 current and former student-athletes take part in the school's annual fall graduation ceremony Saturday at the Mitchell Center.
Included in the class were two All-Americans, an Academic All-American and a pair of Sun Belt Conference Players of the Year.
Rafael Scott received his degree after competing at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship each of the last two years, finishing among the top 10 in the 60-meter dash on both occasions. In addition to helping the Jaguar soccer program to its fifth consecutive league tournament championship and NCAA appearance, Tiina Trutsi was named a College Sports Information Directors of America first-team Academic All-American on Thursday. Former men's tennis student-athlete Tuki Jacobs repeated as the Sun Belt Player of the Year in the spring, when he also earned an invitation to NCAA Men's Singles Championship, while Jeremy Reaves was announced as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year Wednesday in addition to earning all-SBC honors for the third year in a row.
Juan Cruz Soria was the Sun Belt men's tennis Newcomer of the Year last season, and Drew LaBounty has been an all-league selection each of the last two years after helping the Jag baseball team advance to back-to-back NCAA Regionals.
South's football program accounted for nearly half the group of fall graduates with Reaves joined by teammates Dominic Esposito, Xavier Johnson, Antonio London, Deonta Moore, Andrew Reinkemeyer and Blake Worthy. Other individuals earning their degrees at the event included Caroline Torrens from the soccer team and Scott's track and field teammate Berron Tyson.
The final number also included former baseball All-American Marlon Anderson, who played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues and now graduated from South more than 20 years after his final campaign as a Jaguar.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
—USA—
