FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU Athletics has named men's and women's basketball players Marc-Eddy Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Olympia HS/Tulane) and Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood HS/VCU) as recipients of the Northwestern Mutual Academic Student-Athletes of the Month Award for the month of December.

Each month during the school year, the FGCU Athletics Communications Office and Athletic Academic staff will choose a pair of Eagles as the Northwestern Mutual Academic Student-Athlete of the Month. Those selected for the honor will have exhibited a combination of superior athletic and overall academic success.

Atwater is a junior majoring in criminal justice and has logged a 3.26 GPA during her time in Green and Blue. As a guard for the women's basketball team, Atwater has had a career season, currently averaging 13.3 points per game and 4.0 rebounds to go with 2.1 steals and 1.8 assists per game. The Fort Pierce native scored a career-best 33 points in the Eagles victory over Providence on Dec. 11 to follow up a 22-point performance opposite Southern Mississippi. Later, by producing 42 points through two games in the Northeast, Atwater led the Eagles in two down-to-the-wire contests. With wins in the two close matchups, the Eagles concluded nonconference action with a mark of 13-2 and a program best official RPI of 14. Atwater has been named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week twice this season.

Marc-Eddy is a redshirt-sophomore communications major and has produced a 3.32 GPA during his time at FGCU. The Orlando native recorded his first double-figure point outing (12) versus Stetson since a 15-point performance at UMass on Dec. 7. On Nov. 17 he was named the Atlantic Sun Newcomer of the Week after opening the season and his career in the Green and Blue with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds as part of a 63-51 victory over Nova Southeastern. He added another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds versus Marist as part of the Gulf Coast Showcase. Norelia just missed a double-double with an 8-point, 10-rebound performance against South Dakota State. So far this season he is averaging 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in the front-court for the Eagles.

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