MOBILE, Ala. – Following the final competition of his University of South Alabama career, the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship held on Monday and Tuesday, Jan-Louw Kotze sat down to record this week's edition of "Inside JagNation," the official podcast of Jaguar Athletics.

A first-team All-American in competition and the classroom in 2016, Kotze talks about his journey from Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa to South — including how Facebook played a critical role during the recruiting process when he was in high school — on the way to those accomplishments.  The discussion also includes his expectations upon arriving in Mobile, how he set personal goals that helped lay the foundation for his performance as a Jaguar, and balancing athletic and academic tasks while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average.

He also details his long-term scholastic, career and international competition goals as well.

Click here for Episode 29 of "Inside JagNation"

In addition to finishing sixth in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship and being named first-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America in June, Kotze received the Elite 90 award given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating in the finals.  The senior — who was a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American while garnering honorable mention All-America accolades in 2015 — won the discus at the Sun Belt Championship all four years during his career, advancing to the NCAA East Region Preliminaries each of those seasons.

He ended his career as the school record holder in both the discus and the indoor weight throw, and is also ranked in the top five in three other disciplines.  An exercise science and psychology major, he will receive his undergraduate degree in May.

Click here for "Inside JagNation" archives

Individuals interested in downloading episodes of "Inside JagNation" — available at no cost — can search on iTunes for "South Alabama Jaguars."

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).

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