FORT MYERS, FL – The FGCU Department of Athletics has announced its eighth pair of 2019-20 monthly academic honorees. Softball sophomore McKenna Batterton and men's basketball junior Sam Gagliardi were named Scholar-Athletes of the Month for March.

A female and male Eagle are chosen as the FGCU Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Month throughout the academic year. Factors in the selection for this honor include a combination of significant athletic and overall academic success.

Batterton (Norco, CA/Eleanor Roosevelt HS) is a Biology major and carries a 3.91 GPA. The California native is a three-time Athletics Director's Honor Roll member, two-time Dean's List honoree and a President's List recipient.

The sophomore was one of two Eagles to appear in all 27 games (24 starts, primarily in left field) this year for the Eagles before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Batterton turned in a slash line of .354/.476/.446, was second in runs scored with 17, while being tied for second in RBI (15).

"McKenna is a fantastic student and an exemplary team player," said head coach David Deiros. "She does everything at 100 percent and was having a phenomenal season in left field, while hitting out of the number two spot. She's quite deserving of this recognition."

Gagliardi (Gig Harbor, WA/Citrus College) holds a 3.73 GPA, while majoring in Integrated Studies with a concentration in Communications. This past fall, he landed a spot on the Dean's List.

On the court this past season for the Eagles, the junior appeared in 30 games making 15 starts, averaging 5.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in about 20 minutes per game. The sharpshooter converted 51 of his 55 made field goals from beyond the arc in 2019-20. His back-to-back 14-point games against Liberty (1/2) and Lipscomb (1/4) earned him ASUN Newcomer of the Week honors.

"Sam demonstrates a high level of character on and off the court and is a great representative of our program," said head coach Michael Fly. "I'm proud of him for being selected for this recognition that he has earned through his consistent effort at FGCU."

2019-20 Scholar-Athletes of the Month
August – Dana Axner (Volleyball) and Jahan Rajaee (Men's Soccer)
September – Evdokia Popadinova (Women's Soccer) and Marcelo Tebet (Men's Tennis)
October – Lindsey Patton (Women's Soccer) and Kareem Riley (Men's Soccer)
November – Cortney VanLiew (Volleyball) and TC Anderson (Men's Soccer)
December – Keri Jewett-Giles (Women's Basketball) and Caleb Catto (Men's Basketball)
January – Ailsa Clark (Women's Golf) and Hunter  McGarry (Baseball)
February – Wiktoria Czarnecka (Swimming & Diving) and Brian Ellis (Baseball)
March – McKenna Batterton (Softball) and Sam Gagliardi (Men's Basketball)

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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just eight-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty-one consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall semester saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.