CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Campbellsville University senior outfielder
Jameel Ziadeh has earned a spot on the NAIA Scholar Athlete team for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.61 through his collegiate career, as of January 2011.
NAIA Scholar Athletes is an honor presented to student-athletes of junior or senior academic status who demonstrate excellence in the classroom with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
"It's a great feeling of accomplishment," Ziadeh said. "I think it's so important for student-athletes, especially those on scholarship, to take academics seriously. It wasn't easy, but I'm proud of myself for what I have accomplished."
Before enrolling at Campbellsville University, Ziadeh previously attended Biola University (La Mirada, Calif.) and American River College (Sacramento, Calif.). Now in his fifth collegiate academic year studying Mass Communications, he has earned a 3.61 GPA, including a perfect 4.0 in his major classes. He graduated in May 2011.
In addition to his regular class schedule, Ziadeh served as the editor of the Campus Times, a student run university newspaper at Campbellsville. He also completed an internship at the Central-Kentucky News Journal.
Last season as a junior, Ziadeh earned a spot on the Mid-South Conference Academic All-Conference team with a GPA of 3.4. In order to push his GPA above the 3.5 cutoff, Ziadeh took 18 hours in the fall semester earning a 4.0, raising his GPA and making him eligible for the Scholar Athlete honor.
While blossoming academically late in his career, school did not always come easy to Ziadeh. He graduated from Granite Bay High School (Calif.) in the bottom half of his class with a 2.56 GPA. His struggles continued in his freshman year at Biola University when he finished the year with 2.8.
"I had to learn to be a good student," Ziadeh said. "It took me a while to understand that I needed to put as much time working on my school work as I did on my sport, and I think that is what the Scholar Athlete team is all about."
On the field, Ziadeh completed his second season with the Tigers in May, helping lead the Tigers to back-to-back regular season Mid-South Conference championships. In 111career games he posted a .318 average while driving in 49 runs. As a junior he served as the Tigers' everyday centerfielder, winning a Rawlings Gold Glove award in the MSC. During his senior season, he was an All-Conference selection for his play in right field.
Story by Stephanie Lewis
