FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU Athletics Department has announced its eighth pair of 2020-21 monthly academic honorees.
Women's tennis senior
Maja Ornberg and men's golf sophomore
Jon Hopkins have been named the Scholar-Athletes of the Month for March.
A female and male Eagle are chosen as the FGCU Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Month throughout the academic year. Factors in the selection for this honor include a combination of significant athletic and overall academic success.
Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) graduated with her bachelor's degree in Communications in the spring of 2020 with a GPA of 3.74 before coming back for another season using her extra eligibility due to COVID. During that time, Ornberg was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll eight times and the Dean's List five times. She is currently pursuing her post-baccalaureate degree in Psychology where she holds a 3.70 GPA.
In the No. 1 slot this season, the Sweden native is 6-5 overall while producing a 3-2 record in ASUN play. In doubles action she is 6-3, teaming up with three different Eagles this spring. Earlier this afternoon, she was named the ASUN women's tennis Player of the Week after leading the Eagles to a 2-0 weekend with wins over Kennesaw State and Stetson. Ornberg went 2-0 in singles play on the top court while also producing a win in doubles. Against Stetson, she clinched the match in three sets (6-7, 6-1, 7-5) to give FGCU a 4-3 road victory.
"Maja is a gift to this program," said head coach
Courtney Vernon. "Not only is she a gifted fierce competitor, but Maja is also kind, understanding, and a selfless leader."
Hopkins (Bishop's Stortford, England/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) holds a 3.93 GPA while pursuing his bachelor's degree in Business Management in his first season at FGCU. Last fall, the England native landed a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Two weekends ago at the Furman Intercollegiate (Greenville, S.C.) Hopkins shot a third-round 69 to finish second individually and lead the FGCU men's golf team to a second-place showing. The sophomore finished with a 54-hole total of 210, just three strokes off the winning score, while the Eagles were just two strokes behind tournament champion Furman (853). Hopkins leads the Eagles with a 72.60 scoring average this spring with a pair of top-10 finishes. In the month of March, Hopkins dropped his 54-hole scoring average from 226 to 213.
"I'm very proud of the work Jon has been doing not only on the golf course but also in the classroom," said head coach
Andrew Danna. "He balances both very well and is well-deserving of this honor."
FGCU Scholar-Athletes of the Month
August – Cortney VanLiew (Indoor Volleyball/Beach Volleyball) and Connor Gavigan (Men's Soccer)
September – Zoey Spitzer (Women's Soccer) and Lucas Kiprotich (Men's Cross Country)
October – Snowy Burnam (Indoor Volleyball/Beach Volleyball) and Johnny Long (Baseball)
November – Wiktoria Czarnecka (Swimming & Diving) and Caleb Catto (Men's Basketball)
December – Tyra Cox (Women's Basketball) and Aiden Jokomba (Men's Soccer)
January – Hannah VanDress (Swimming & Diving) and Brian Ellis (Baseball)
February – Taylor Bauman (Softball) and Gus Carter (Baseball)
March –
Maja Ornberg (Women's Tennis) and
Jon Hopkins (Men's Golf)
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 40 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.