April 6, 2016
As part of April 6’s National STUDENT-Athlete Day, RamblinWreck.com will highlight six Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets that epitomize the ideals of being a student-athlete.
3 p.m. – KeShun Freeman (Football) and Samantha Kase (Women’s Swimming)
KeShun Freeman, Sophomore, Football
After a Freshman All-American season in 2014, KeShun Freeman continued to flourish on and off the football field as a sophomore in 2015. He started at defensive end in all 12 games, while leading the Yellow Jackets defensive linemen with 44 tackles.
He is currently serving his first full year as one of the football SAAB representatives. He’s been among the most involved student-athletes in community service opportunities, volunteering with Special Olympics, Sting Hunger Now, and other events. He also assisted in the making and delivering of Valentine’s cards for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, as well as representing FCA and Georgia Tech Football at various local schools to speak on being a student and athlete.
Samantha Kase, Senior, Women’s Swimming
Samantha Kase was a four-year letterwinner for the Georgia Tech women’s swimming team and is in her third year as a SAAB representative for the swimming & diving program. Samantha has played a huge role with Girls on the Run in both the fall and spring for the past few years, assisting with site visits as well as the end of the season 5K.
She has also involved in the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive, Dance Marathon, Tech Beautification Day, and Valantine’s making & delivering for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
12 p.m. – Alex Grady (Cross Country / Men’s Track) and Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer (Women’s Tennis)
Alex Grady, Junior, Cross Country / Men’s Track
Alex Grady was the recipient of the first Ultimate Haier Achievement Award, which is presented to deserving student-athletes for their accomplishes beyond sports.
A graduate of Newton High School in Covington, Ga., where he was the valedictorian of his graduating class, Grady is majoring in mechanical engineering. He was one of six Georgia Tech student-athletes to receive the ACC Top Six for Service Award in 2014. He has amassed more than 210 community service hours in his first two years at Tech.
He’s in his third year as the men’s cross country SAAB representative and is also the athletics representative on SGA. In addition to this work, he has also volunteered at many other programs including Georgia Tech SAAB’s Michael Isenhour Toy Drive and the “Thank-a-Thon,” organized by the Student-Athlete Advisory Board and Alexander-Tharpe Fund where student-athletes thank donors for their support.
Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer, Junior, Women’s Tennis
A 2014 ACC Academic Honor Roll selection, Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer is in her first year as one of women’s tennis’ representatives to the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB). She is becoming more involved in SAAB and has played in active role in years past with Girls on the Run and the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive.
On the court, she is 11-11 overall for the 16th-ranked women’s tennis team, playing at the No. 4, 5 and 6 lineup positions for the Yellow Jackets.
10 a.m. – Jonathan King (Baseball) and Katarina Vuckovic (Women’s Basketball)
Jonathan King, Pitcher, Baseball
In March, Jonathan King was one of 30 baseball student-athletes selected as a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native is a two-time All-ACC Academic Baseball Team selection (2013, 2015) and three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member (2013, 2014, 2015). An industrial engineering major with a 3.46 cumulative GPA, King has traveled to the Dominican Republic for a service trip with Tech’s FCA chapter (2015) and was involved in the Georgia Tech Athletic Association’s recent strategic planning process.
He has also volunteered countless hours with the Special Olympics Winter Indoor Games, the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive, and has also served as an FCA outreach speaker for the past four years.
On the field, King is 13-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 45 career appearances. He owns a nearly 2:1 career strikeout-to-walk ratio (117 to 60).
Katarina Vuckovic, Junior, Women’s Basketball
At the Final Four in Indianapolis, junior Katarina Vuckovic was recognized as one of five NCAA Division I women’s basketball student-athletes named to the 2016 Allstate WBCA Good Works team.
In its fourth year, this prestigious award honors college basketball athletes that have dedicated themselves to bettering the lives of others through giving back to their communities.
Vuckovic is the second Yellow Jacket to be named to the Allstate WBCA Good Works team in the past three years. Former Yellow Jacket Shayla Bivins was named to the team in 2014.
The Smederevo, Serbia, native has been involved in a number of community service initiatives since her arrival on campus in 2013. Vuckovic has volunteered with Urban Perform, helping to build a basketball court for the local community and participating in a Popsicle party with underserved children. Vukocvic has also volunteered at Safe House, a local soup kitchen, the Ronald McDonald House and the Boys and Girls Club Day for Kids.
ABOUT NATIONAL STUDENT-ATHLETE DAY
National STUDENT-Athlete Day is generally recognized on April 6 nationwide, but can be celebrated throughout the months of March and April at NCAA colleges and universities. The day recognizes the accomplishments of student-athletes who excel in the classroom, on the playing fields and who give back to their community through service projects. National STUDENT-Athlete Day was created by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and the Northeastern University Center for the Study of Sport in Society. NCAA involvement began in 1994.
The NCAA provides financial assistance and administrative support to the NCAS by providing colleges and universities with nomination forms for the Giant Steps awards and other pertinent materials to promote National STUDENT-Athlete Day. NCAA member institutions are encouraged to recognize outstanding student-athletes and to make National STUDENT-Athlete Day a meaningful experience by placing posters around their campuses and participating in community activities.
NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs) have created a variety of programs for National STUDENT-Athlete Day. Some SAACs do community outreach by visiting patients at local hospitals, while other SAACs speak to elementary or middle school students about the importance of education. Some SAACs have hosted luncheons to recognize the accomplishments of their peers, while other SAACs have hosted interactive assemblies at their campuses for local students.
