DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University junior guard Morgan Jones has been named to the 2015-16 Academic All-District First Team as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.
Jones joins just four other NCAA Division I players from District III (North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee) to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District along with Duke sophomore Rebecca Greenwell, NC State junior Ashley Williams, Liberty graduate student Ashley Rininger and UNCG senior Lucy Mason.
“We are extremely proud of Morgan Jones being chosen to the Academic All-District III award,” said NCCU fourth year head coach Vanessa Taylor. “Certainly, she has conducted herself with competitive greatness since she has been here and to see her be awarded at this particular point is just exceptional. Morgan is the epitome of what we want our Lady Eagles to do and be in terms of being an outstanding student-athlete as well as a great ambassador for us in athletics. She is just a joy to coach.”
Jones has a 3.94 grade point average after five semesters at NCCU. The criminal justice major was named to the MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team in 2015.
The 5-foot-9 guard leads NCCU with 11.1 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game while playing a team-high 31.7 minutes per game. Jones has started all 17 games she has played and ranks in the top-20 of the MEAC in steals (6th), 3-pointers made per game (8th), assists (14th) and scoring (16th).
Jones scored a career-high 25 points in a home win over Norfolk State University and has scored in double digits in majority of her starts (10 of 17).
The 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-District Women’s Basketball Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
Jones will automatically be nominated for 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a First Team All-District honoree. The NCAA Division I Academic All-America First, Second and Third Teams are slated to be announced by CoSIDA on Thursday, March 3.