SIC’s Rankin named National Student Athlete of the Year
HARRISBURG, Ill. (March 14th, 2023) –Devin Rankin, a second-year men’s basketball player at Southeastern Illinois College, has been awarded the prestigious United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Student Athlete of the Year. Per the USCAA, “The emphasis of this award is on academics and community involvement, paired with athletic performance.” The award for his exceptional achievements both on and off the court was announced at the USCAA National Awards ceremony held at Virginia State University on Sunday Afternoon.
Rankin, a Carmi native, has excelled academically since arriving on campus in August 2021. He maintains a 4.00 GPA and is on track to graduate in May with his Associate in Arts degree. Additionally, Rankin has served as the Student Trustee on the Southeastern Illinois College board for the 2022-2023 academic year. In the basketball off-season, Rankin held the assistant baseball coach title at Carmi Middle School.
In addition to his academic accomplishments, Rankin has also been a standout player for the Falcons men’s basketball team for two-seasons. In his sophomore campaign, he saw action in all 29 games played, registered double-figures 11 times, and saw a career high of 17 points on November 5th.
This culmination of academic and athletic success paired with his community involvement made Rankin the ideal candidate for the annual award. Rankin was selected by a committee comprised of National Office members, board members, and Athletic Directors from a pool of student-athletes from two-year and four-year institutions spread throughout the country.
Upon receiving the award, Rankin expressed his gratitude to his coaches, teammates, and family for their support and encouragement throughout his basketball career. He also emphasized the importance of balancing academics and athletics, stating that “being a successful student athlete requires dedication and hard work both on and off the court.”
“Devin is a shining example of what it means to be a student-athlete,” said SIC Men’s Basketball Coach Sam Swinford. “His dedication to both his sport and his studies has been an inspiration to his teammates and a testament to the values of the college and our program alike. He will be missed in our program but we are very proud of the bar that he has set for our players moving forward – both on and off the court.”