Jamar Athletic Academic Support Center

The University of Minnesota-Duluth has an excellent tradition of academically preparing its athletes. Since 1985, the Jamar Athletic Academic Support Center (JAASC) has helped all student-athletes, regardless of their grade point average and academic abilities, to progress toward a degree from freshman orientation to graduation.

Over the past 21 years, 94 percent of those athletes who participated in a varsity sport for four years have graduated. Additionally, the combined GPA for all UMD sports teams for the 2004-05 academic year was 2.91. Student-athletes at UMD spend a vast amount of time and energy, over and above their studies, to participate in their sport. That's why the JAASC's goal is to lend academic support to every athlete.

This support comes in many forms, including:

•Maintaining contact with athletic recruits and provide them with academic information.

•Assisting freshmen and transfer students during the orientation program.

•Coordinating study groups and tutoring opportunities for student athletes.

•Operating a computer lab during hours accessible for student-athletes.

•Conducting seminars that address timely academic and non-academic issues and concerns of student-athletes.

•Serving as a liaison/advocate with University academic and service departments, as well as with the faculty and their various departments.

•Helping students clarify and set academic goals, choose a major, explore careers and pursue job placement opportunities.

While it is the student-athlete's responsibility to maintain contact with his or her academic instructors and advisors as well as with coaches, the JAASC staff helps monitor the student-athlete's academic progress every semester. It provides a yearly check-out program to help each student-athlete review plans for classes, housing, financial aid and summer school for the following school year.

The 2005-06 academic year was another noteable one for UMD student-athletes in the classroom. The following is an example of some of the Bulldogs' accomplishments:

•The Athletic Academic Support Center listed listed 205 student-athletes (out of a possible 405) who turned in grade point averages of 3.00 or better in 2005-06. Of that group, 105 achieved GPAs of 3.40 or above and 21 finished at least one semester with perfect 4.00 marks (eight attained 4.00 GPAs in both semesters). In all, UMD student-athletes maintained an average GPA of 2.92 during the 2005-06 school year. The softball Bulldogs posted the best GPA of any Bulldog team with a 3.36 figure.

•On the individual front,Individually, senior forward Lindsey Dietz (women’s basketball), attained ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first team honors while junior goaltender Riitta Schaublin (women’s hockey/at-large) was a second team selection. Dietz, a three-time Academic All-American (she landed a spot on the first team in 2004-05 after being a member of the second team as a sophomore), also was named the Academic All-America of the Year by ESPN The Magazine for the second time in as many years and was the recipient of the North Central Conference’s prestigious 2006 Stan Marshall Award (athletic, academic and civic achievement) -- the second straight Bulldog to be so honored. Schaublin, a native of Basil, Switzerland, received the WCHA’s Student-Athlete of the Year in 2005-06 (following in the footsteps of former teammate and 2004-05 recipient Caroline Oullette) in addition to corralling WCHA All-Academic Team recognition for a second straight season. Senior Allison Boddy (volleyball/second team), senior Brandon Cooley (football/first team), Dietz (basketball/first team), senior Julie Lenci (volleyball/second team) senior Pam Lensing (soccer/second team), Schaublin (women’s hockey/at-large first team), and senior Nate Taran (baseball/second team) all were bestowed with CoSIDA Academic All-District V acclaim this past season. U. S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA II All-Academic Team honors, meanwhile, were bestowed on sophomore Jared Clementson, freshman Amy Knudson, and senior Abby Demulling. Dietz and Taran, who maintained a perfect 4.00 cumlative grade point average as a collegian, were also chosen UMD’s Top Scholar Male and Female Athletes (the E.L. Duce Rasmussen Award) for 2005-06.

•55 UMD student-athletes secured North Central Conference All-Academic honors and 11 Bulldogs (two men and nine women) were named to the WCHA All-Academic team.

•A group of 21 Bulldog student-athletes were named to the Jamar Athletic Academic Support Center Scholar List for maintaining the highest cumulative grade point average during the 2005-06 school year in their respective sports. Seven seniors, eight juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen, all of whom were 2005-06 letterwinners, comprise the JAASC Scholar List which follows (*denotes number of previous selections):

Name /Sport /Year /Major /GPA /Hometown
Nate Taran*** Baseball Sr. Political Science/Criminology 4.00 Hermantown, Minn.
Matt Rawley Basketball (M) Jr. Elementary Education 3.56 Milwaukee, Wis.
Katie Winkleman* Basketball (W) Jr. Elementary Education 4.00 Morris, Minn.
Lindsey Dietz*** Basketball (W) Sr. Mathematics 4.00 Elk River, Minn.
Neil Olson* Cross Country (M) Sr. Biology 3.84 Ladysmith, Wis.
Emma Bahe Cross Country (W) So. Criminology 3.96 St. Cloud, Minn.
Kim Chapman Cross Country (W) Sr. Music Education 3.96 Winona, Minn.
Kris Zinsmaster* Cross Country (W) Jr. Criminology 4.00 Hurley, Wis.
Jack Lyons Football Sr. Cell Biology 3.90 Duluth, Minn.
Jason Garrison Hockey (M) Fr. Exercise Science 3.45 White Rock, British Columbia
Riitta Schaublin** Hockey (W) Jr. Mathematics 4.00 Basil, Switzerland
Abbey Bollig Soccer Jr. Early Childhood Studies 3.44 Oregon, Wis.
Ellen Colby* Softball Jr. Elementary Education 3.92 Barron, Wis.
Elizabeth Standke Tennis (W) Sr. Elementary Education 3.74 Owatonna, Minn.
Jordan Bjorhus Track (M) Fr. Undecided 3.88 Borup, Minn.
Breanna Caywood Track (W) Jr. Communication/Intern. Studies 4.00 Esko, Minn.
Justina Froelich Track (W) Fr. Psychology 3.96 Sauk Rapids, Minn.
Nicky Jodarski* Track (W) So. Teaching Literature/Teaching Spanish 3.96 Neillsville, Wis.
Kayla Odegard Track (W) Jr. Exercise Science 3.96 Thompson, N.D.
Maria Swanson* Track (W) So. Psychology 3.95 Brainder, Minn.
Alicia Meger Volleyball Sr. Health Education 3.90 New Prague, Minn.

“Our combined GPA has consistently been around the 2.90 figure for the last dozen years or so,” said Athletic Academic Support Center Director and Bulldog head men’s basketball coach Gary Holquist. “That shows that UMD student-athletes are not only champions on the field of play, but in the class room as well.”

University of Minnesota Duluth
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans