(Butler, PA) Six student-athletes who helped to lead Butler County Community College athletics programs to championships or national tournament appearances in the past two years have again been recognized for their academic performances by the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Two-time All-Americans Aslyn Pry and Morgan Jack; and Zoey Hillwig, Liam Kosior, Austin Rodgers and Taylor Schultz earned NJCAA all-academic team honors for having completed the 2022-2023 year with a grade-point average of at least 3.6, as they did in 2021-2022.
All-American Kevaughn Price, and Brooke Manuel, Amber Maurer, Cory Voltz and Taylor Yost were selected to the NJCAA all-academic team for the first time in 2022-2023.
Kosior, Maurer, Pry, Schultz and Voltz were also members of BC3’s Rho Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society for two-year colleges and programs.
Hillwig, Kosior, Schultz and Yost graduated with honors in BC3’s Class of 2023.
“Some of our best athletes are also some of our best students,” said Rob Snyder, the college’s director of student life and athletics, and the head coach of BC3’s volleyball program. “It’s impressive in that it takes a lot of time to be good at one, let alone being good at both. It takes focus, time management and a desire to put in the work.”
Price was named an NJCAA Division III All-American in men’s basketball in 2023; Pry in women’s basketball and in volleyball in 2022; and Jack, in volleyball in 2022 and in 2021.
Kosior and Voltz were recognized in golf; Schultz in softball; Rodgers in men’s basketball; Hillwig, Manuel and Yost in women’s basketball; and Maurer in volleyball.
“I want to excel in college and get a degree. That’s been a goal of mine and you can’t be successful on the court without good grades.”
BC3’s men’s basketball team in 2023 was ranked as high as No. 7 among 97 Division III programs and finished 21-5. It won the program’s first Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference crown since 2019, its first Division III Region 20 title since 2002 and qualified for the national championship tournament for the first time.
Price’s scoring average of 21.5 points was eighth among all Division III players; his 226 successful field goals were fifth and his 558 points 12th. He scored 20 or more points in 14 games and led BC3 nine times.
“I want to excel in college and get a degree,” said Price, a graduate of Bishop Canevin High School. “That’s been a goal of mine and you can’t be successful on the court without good grades.”
“After the work is done, you can focus more on golf. But you have to make sure that schoolwork is done first.”
BC3’s golf squad in the past two years has won WPCC and Region 20 titles, and qualified for the national championship tournament, where the Pioneers placed fifth in 2023 and sixth in 2022.
Kosior’s 71 on June 6 was at the time the lowest score of a BC3 golfer competing in the national championship tournament since at least 2009. He finished 25th in 2023 and tied for 20th in 2022.
“My routine was that for any class that I had work to do, say due in a week, I would try to get it done as soon as I got it,” said Kosior, a graduate of Neshannock High. “So if anything were to come up with golf, I would have my schoolwork done and I would not have to worry. After the work is done, you can focus more on golf. But you have to make sure that schoolwork is done first.”
The Pioneers’ softball team has won consecutive WPCC and Region 20 crowns in the past two years and ended the 2023 season at 14-6.
Schultz was tied for ninth among players on 65 Division III women’s softball programs with 27 stolen bases.
“My grades are most important to me because that’s my future.”
BC3’s women’s basketball squad in the past two years has won back-to-back WPCC titles and finished 19-6 in 2022-2023. Pry was third among players on 73 Division III programs with 16.4 rebounds per game in 2022-2023.
The Pioneers’ volleyball team has won consecutive WPCC and Region 20 titles in the past two years, was ranked as high as No. 1 among 97 Division III programs in 2022 and finished 19-4. Pry led all Division III volleyball players with a .432 hitting percentage.
“My grades are most important to me because that’s my future,” said Pry, a graduate of Moniteau. “I try to get my schoolwork done throughout the day, between classes, any time I can squeeze it in. That way, if we are traveling for games, I don’t have to come back and be up super-late at night. I wouldn’t perform as well in sports and it would be harder for me to do homework.”
Jack was third among all players with 10.18 assists per set. She also became BC3’s all-time leader in career assists in 2022 with 1,429.
Price was a freshman guard-forward; Rodgers, a Butler graduate and sophomore forward; Pry, a sophomore forward in women’s basketball and middle hitter in volleyball; Jack, a Knoch graduate and sophomore setter; and Maurer, a Karns City graduate and freshman outside hitter.
Kosior was a sophomore; Voltz, a Knoch graduate and freshman; Schultz, a Moniteau graduate and sophomore second baseman-outfielder; Hillwig, a Moniteau graduate and sophomore guard; Yost, a Seneca Valley graduate and sophomore forward; and Manuel, a Karns City graduate and freshman forward.
