Montclair State’s success was not limited to the playing field. Despite all the long hours put into practice and extensive travel to road contests, Red Hawks still excelled in the classroom. Included among the dozens of athletes earning academic honors, three were named Academic All-Americans. Joining the ranks of the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America Teams were: Alex Hill, softball third team; and track stars Heather Gearity and Jon Tancer, second and third teams, respectively, Cross Country and Track and Field squads.

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, student athletes must be varsity starters or key reserves and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00. Hill, Gearity and Tancer became the sixth, seventh and eighth student athletes in school history to earn Academic All-America honors.

The trio’s achievements topped a season in which many Red Hawks received academic honors—with a total of 63 student athletes being named to the NJAC All-Academic Team and 29 being inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society in 2012.